Revival of Moldovan Wines: Exclusive Interview with Stefan Iamandi, Director of Wine of Moldova

Moldova, a small country on the eastern border of Europe, boasts a rich selection of unique grapes and wines primarily from native varieties. Stefan Iamandi, the director of Wine of Moldova/ONVV, shares the latest developments in this sector.

Stefan Iamandi, head of the National Office of Vine and Wine / Wine of Moldova, photo by BKWine Photography

Moldova might be the world’s most wine-centric country, not due to consumption but because the wine industry is crucial to its economy. Considering Moldova’s size, economic status, and population, wine plays a significant financial role. The industry is managed by ONVV, The National Office of Vine and Wine, also known as Wine of Moldova. Stefan Iamandi took charge of ONVV in late 2023. I recently met Stefan in Paris over dinner, and before we enjoyed some traditional French cuisine, I had the chance to discuss the latest updates in Moldova’s wine industry, a subject close to my heart, especially since the country has seen monumental changes post-Soviet Union.

Having conducted an in-depth analysis of the Moldovan wine industry a few years back, I was eager to learn about new developments. My previous research highlighted that while Moldova has many indigenous and distinctive grape varieties, they formed only a small fraction of the cultivated land at the time. A notable weakness from before was the dominance of the industry by a few large producers, with a scarce presence of small to medium-sized wineries. A “new generation” of family-owned wineries, crucial for quality, innovation, and market orientation, was notably lacking. Historically a major supplier of bulk wine during Soviet times, Moldova has been gradually shifting towards quality-driven wine production. My recent conversation with Stefan revealed some encouraging changes.

The landscape at Chateau Purcari, Stefan Voda, Moldova is notably captured by BKWine Photography. But when asked about recent changes, Stefan Iamandi immediately mentioned the significant shifts due to Covid and the war in Ukraine. Geographically, Moldova borders Ukraine to the east (and Romania to the west), bringing the war’s consequences closer due to this proximity. Moreover, a small region in eastern Moldova next to Ukraine, known as Transdniestria, seeks independence with Russian backing. Stefan highlighted, “Previously, our wines were exported through the port in Odessa. The conflict has severely impacted this, affecting not only our wine industry.” Currently, exporting via Odessa is virtually nonexistent. Although the Russian military has not advanced to Odesa, a vital Black Sea port, it remains perilously close.

On a more optimistic note regarding viticulture, Stefan shared their substantial strides in enhancing quality and growing the sector: “In Moldova, the surge in small wine producers is noticeable, paralleled by an increase in international awards. Of particular note, at this year’s Mundus Vini, we stood out as the top-awarded nation from Eastern Europe. Competing globally, and especially against Eastern European wine nations, is a testament to our efforts as we have amassed over 6,500 medals in international competitions recently, with more than half being gold.”

The Atu Winery near Chisinau, Moldova, used to be one of many small to medium-sized family-owned wineries in the country. There are now approximately 50 to 60 wineries of this size in Moldova, accounting for nearly 30% of all Moldovan wineries. While Moldova has around 230 wineries covering 100,000 hectares, regions like Bordeaux, somewhat larger in size, boast about 6000 wineries. However, Moldova has around 55,000 vine-growing families, indicating a highly fragmented agricultural landscape with many small vineyards.

This fragmentation resulted from Moldova’s past as a Soviet republic and the subsequent redistribution of land post-independence. These conditions present challenges such as the adoption of modern farming technologies. Nonetheless, they also create a unique advantage—virtually every individual in the country has some connection to or involvement with the wine industry.

So, has this increase in small and medium producers made any difference for the wine sector then? Stefan Iamandi thinks so, “The small producers, they’re bringing innovation, they’re following trends, for example, orange wine, with skin contact, they’re following the trend regarding sparkling wine. There are a lot of small producers that produce sparkling wine; we follow the trends that sparkling wine consumption is increasing in the world. And also we produce rosé wine. You know, five years ago, consumption was more of red wine. Now it’s changed to white wine. And for the small producers it’s good in a way; it’s easier to follow the trends and to be more proactive and follow new consumption trends around the world.”

So, it seems that one of the conclusions that I drew when I travelled around Moldova before Covid of how to make the wine industry more dynamic in the country is happening. There’s a great number of smaller producers emerging.

What about the other thing that I noted, the exciting local grapes? At the time, they were not so much planted as they deserved. Is there an increasing interest in indigenous varieties? Well, that is changing too, according to Stefan, “Yes, it’s developed with support from the state, through the subsidies policy. It is promoting the planting of the local varieties, which are, for example, feteasca alba, feteasca neagra, the local varieties, and also the varieties that are selected new varieties. The state is supporting through financial support for that. And it’s true that a big share of the medals we receive are for our indigenous varieties. The surface is not as big as the European ones, for sure. We need to take into consideration our history. In the past, the biggest surface was for the international varieties.” Stefan should know; my guess is that he, or rather, the ONVV, is one source of the funding for this.

Carpe Diem Feteasca Alba and Feteasca Regala, Moldova, copyright BKWine Photography

But the international varieties have not disappeared. “The wineries are doing assemblage (blending) or local varieties with international varieties. And here’s that, here we see a potential for presenting our wines, our terroir through this assemblage of local varieties with international varieties,” says Stefan.

It seems then, that two of my main conclusions on what needed to change when travelling in the Moldovan wine regions some 5-6 years ago are indeed happening.

Looking back, the management of the Moldovan wine sector has gone through a period of turbulence. For many years, Gheorghe Arpentin was director of the ONVV, up until 2020. He was at the same time a visionary, a scientist and a businessman. During his tenure, he established a strategy for the future of the wine business in Moldova based on a better understanding of the market, better research and education, and better management of the vineyards. Now, after a few years of uncertainty, the ONVV (Wine of Moldova) has a new director, Stefan Iamandi, in office since the end of 2023, who, in spite of his young age, is somewhat a veteran of the Moldovan wine management at ONVV, having been in the organisation for many years. His arrival at the helm was followed by the organisation choosing a new motto, or as one would perhaps say on social media, a new tagline. Why so? As Stefan explains, “We came this year with a new motto for the wines of Moldova. We call it ‘Unexpectedly Great’. Why? Well, a lot of persons, when they try our wines say, ‘Oh, it’s unexpectedly good’, or say ‘it’s unexpectedly great.’ And we decided, okay, why not take it as our slogan, ‘Unexpectedly Great’? Because it’s the feeling of the people that taste our wines, the consumers.” Wines from Moldova – Unexpectedly Great. Why not? But one can only hope (and expect) that it will be a short-lived slogan, that soon people will no longer be surprised. That soon it will be “expectedly great”.

Finally, I had the opportunity to inquire with Stefan Iamandi, who is at the helm of the ONVV, about what he perceives as the foremost strengths of Moldovan wines. He imparted, “The primary strength is our terroir and the array of local varieties. Another significant strength is the integral role of wine production in our country’s livelihood. As alluded to previously, there are over 55,000 vine owners. During the harvest and processing periods, the entire nation engages in this industry. Wine is a pivotal industry in Moldova, propelling various auxiliary industries. We regard it as a strategic sector as it encompasses not only bottle production but also boosts tourism, marketing, and the hospitality sectors. In Moldova, wine embodies our lifestyle; it is ingrained in our essence, the art of winemaking runs deep in our veins.”

Subsequently, at the Paris restaurant where our encounter took place, our meals and wine were served, diverting our attention from the resurgence of Moldova’s wine industry.

—Per Karlsson

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!