Ditch French Wine & Try Moldovan. Equal Quality, Half the Price

When you think of famous wine growing regions places like Napa Valley, Tuscany, and Bordeaux, these tiny slices of heaven produce some of the finest grapes in the world. The next time you think of elite wine growing regions, add Moldova to your list.

Previous under Russian control, Moldova was long kept off the world wine stage. However, in recent years, the small Eastern European Country has been making noise. With conditions that are almost identical to France’s famed Bordeaux region, Moldova produces some mighty fine wines!

With a production of over 120,000 tons of wine, Moldova has a well established wine industry. The second half of the 19th century saw an intensive planting of newly introduced French varieties. Because the growing conditions are almost identical– the same grapes that produce quality French wines, also gave birth to an amazing array of Moldovan wines.

So what is the difference between Moldovan and French wines?

The answer is simple, it comes down to brand recognition (not quality).

A ton of grapes yields about 700 bottles of wine, and so can add anywhere from roughly $1.40 to $14 to the production cost of a single bottle. How wine gets priced is a somewhat cloudy business.

The price of a bottle of wine reflects a few things. First up are the costs of production, or how much it costs to make a bottle. There are the raw materials of grapes, barrels and bottles, plus utilities and labor. Secondly, expensive wines are expensive because they can be.

In a recent trip to Napa Valley, we were told by a sommelier that Napa wines are often priced a few bucks higher than wines from Sonoma just because of the famed “Napa” name.

Admittedly, Moldova doesn’t have the rich branding behind it when it comes to wine. However, what it lacks in prestige, it makes up for in quality.

Don’t believe us, taste for yourself.

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