Drink for a Cause!

Have you ever had a wine from Moldova?

Do you even know where Moldova is?

To be honest, I didn’t.

The landlocked, former Soviet-bloc nation is located between Romania to its west and Ukraine to its north, east and south.

And wait for it – wine is one of Moldova’s biggest exports.  As a matter of fact, 25 percent of households in Moldova are in the wine business in some form, says Christy Canterbury, who’ s an expert in eastern European wines and one of 10 women who hold the Master of Wine qualification in the U.S.

Even better, winemaking in Moldova dates back over 5000 years to the time of Homer’s Iliad, she says.

That’s crazy!

–Moldova has the greatest density of vineyards in the world.

–Over 276,000 acres of grape vines grow on 7 percent of Moldova’s arable land.

–Moldova cultivates indigenous varietals like Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Traminer, and Saperavi

–Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and others are grown as well

–Moldova’s wine industry accounts for 3.2 percent of the gross domestic product and 7.5 percent of its total exports.

In addition, the wine collection at the Moldovan winemaking plant in Mile?tii Mici is the largest in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with almost 2 million bottles.

The best part is the Russians love it! And buy tons of it!!  ……But you know what happens when the Russian people love something, right? Their President Vladmir Putin puts sanctions on it.  And that’s exactly what he did with Moldova wines.

That’s not such good news for Europe’s poorest country, whose economy is highly dependent on agriculture and the wine industry that goes with it.

So I want you to be adventurous and drink for a cause.  Go try a Moldovan wine and support the country.

They were wonderful, so easy to drink – and so affordable!

Hopefully Putin changes his mind soon, but until then, assist the people and  buy their wine. For every bottle you buy Monolex donate $1.00 to assist the needy in Moldova.

Testimonials

It is a great privilege for me to visit Cricova today. The legacy of winemaking from the 15th century is being carried on in this extraordinary underground facility with 21st century technology. People in this region have practiced winemaking for centuries, back to the early times with the Romans. So, this winery is really a reminder of how Moldova’s rich history is tied to its promising future.

(Cricova, December 4, 2013)

John Kerry (US Secretary of State)

 

I welcome the interest of your country for viticulture and the reforms you have carried out in this area. I can definitely say that some of the Moldovan wines are comparable to some French wines in terms of gustative and visual qualities.

(Chisinau, February 16, 2014)

Jean-Marie Aurand (General Director of OIV)

 

„As a wine producer, Moldova has much going for it: the same latitude as Burgundy, varied and wine-friendly topography, and a climate tempered by the Black Sea (…). Wines are becoming drier and better made.”

Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson (The World Atlas of Wine, 7th edition, completely revised & updated)

 

Moldovan wines are on the international track. The future for Moldova is to promote the local varieties such as Feteasca and Rara Neagra, which makes it stand out on the international market and become more interesting; this is your future, especially that now higher preference is given to the local, authenticity element. Your potential is in your legends which you need to pour in small stock bottles of highest quality wines. (Chisinau, February 16, 2014)

Pawel Gasiorek (CEO Dom Wina, Poland)

 

Moldovan wine has changed and I am impressed by it, especially the red wines, which bear the specifics of the terroir, differentiating your wines on the international market. The Saperavi made in Moldova is different. Everyone has Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while Moldova can standout by its authentic wines made of local varieties. (Chisinau, February 16, 2014)

John Salvi Master of Wine (Great Britain)

 

In June 2011, my wife Amy Lee and I made the 6,000-mile track to see for ourselves (e.n. Moldova). We crisscrosed four growing areas to visit 10 producers and sample nearly 100 wines. Expecting a second-world country with primitive wineries, we instead found ourselves staring down the oak barrel of a high-caliber wine culture, cocked to let loose on the global market.(…) I opened some Moldovan bottles with an accomplished winemaker and a James Beard Award-winning food-and-wine writer, who affirmed my “who knew?” fascination. (Chisinau, 16 februarie 2014)

Jason Tesauro (award winning wine journalist, USA

 

These cellars preserve a huge quantity of very good wines. Even the pickiest consumer could find here a wine to suit him. I wish you take the best medals and if you have no enough metal for this, I commit to bring it from the Moon or from other planets. I thank all people working in viticulture and winemaking for their efforts! (Cricova, March 8-9, 1965)

Iurii Gagarin (cosmonaut, the first human to journey into outer space)