Wine casks like this one are used to age Moldovan wine at Milesti Mici--the
largest wine cellar in the world!
Sticlas (bottles) aging in the vault.
Cars drive in the underground wine
city.
Yours truly on a visit to a traditional Moldovan basement wine cellar.
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5 May...When wine is serious...I have mentioned
before that Moldova is a wine producing nation and I can testify to the
fact that the production is good! But wine is more than just a
hobby for Moldovans, it is a significant part of the culture, the
economy, and even the political life here. Moldovan red wine is
considered medicinal and as it is supposed to increase red blood cell
counts according to local lore, it is an effective combatant to
radiation exposure. I have been told that Moldovans give their
children a little red wine in the summer in order to minimize the UV
affects of the sun on them! Every Moldovan home has a cellar and every
cellar has a couple of barrels of wine fermenting in it at any given
time. It is a tradition that goes back centuries and the homebrew
stuff is a deep ruby color and is made from the local red grapes that
are grown all over the countryside. When you visit a Moldovan home, you
are greeted with a glass of wine and it is a sign of friendship to drink
it, though most Moldovans will understand if you do not drink alcohol
for religious or personal reasons--they will think you a bit odd--but
they will understand.
The Sunday after Easter, it is the tradition to go to the cemetery
and celebrate Easter with your relatives that have passed away.
Part of the ritual is to pour some wine on the grave for the departed
family member, as it is supposed to help them to "see" the visitors.
I was invited to participate in the ritual last weekend at the graves of
one of my students' grandparents. Both had died before the
collapse of the Soviet Union--so what the poor people thought when they
"saw" Americans hovering around their graves, I can't say. Maybe
they were happy to see us with wine in our hands since in the Gorbachev
years an anti-alcohol campaign led to the burning of vineyards in
Moldova (Gorbachev is not remembered fondly here). Maybe they were
happy the Cold War was over. Whatever they were thinking, I
nonetheless enjoyed some homemade wine in their honor. It is also
traditional to have a picnic lunch at the cemetery. As the
afternoon progresses, other people from the neighboring gravesites start
to mix and mingle and share wine as way of socializing and remembering
those that have passed on.
Commercially, wine is produced in a number of wineries that have been
developed here over the last two centuries. The Queen of England
is reputed to buy a steady supply of Moldovan wine. Wine is
Moldova's largest export and Russia was the largest buyer until
recently. Russia has banned the import of Moldovan and Georgian
wines claiming that they may pose health hazards due to the sanitation
practices of the local wineries (claiming that mercury and lead may be
contaminating the wine). No one else is banning the wine, not even
the U.S. Coincidentally, the restriction coincides with the
decision of Ukraine refusing to recognize Transneistrian exports that
lack a Moldovan customs stamp. Georgia also has had conflicts in
recent days with renegade regions claiming allegiance to Russia.
Nearly 75% of the wine exported from Moldova has gone to Russia (and
this represents 19% of Moldova's total exports).
Where this all goes is anyone's guess since 43% of Russian wine comes
from Moldova and Georgia--maybe there will be an outcry from Russian
consumers? Maybe Moscow will decide that currying favor with
Chisinau is easier with honey rather than vineger. Here is a
link to an April 6 article from the Washington Post for more
information about the wine controversy.
Rumors abound of the wineries closing operations but I was able to
visit Milesti Mici a couple of weeks ago and they are still producing.
Milesti Mici's biggest claim to fame is that Guiness has certified it as
the world's largest wine cellar with over 25 kilometers of roads.
It was a real experience to drive through the winding ways with rows of
aging barrels and bottles lining the sides! The roadways were
named Cabernet, Riesling, and Merlot. The only downside to being
the driver was that I did not get to taste too much. |
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Picnic lunch in the cemetery with my
student, Vicu and his family.
Typical Moldovan cemetery.
 My very
own collection (from left to right): a bottle of home brewed stuff,
Merlot, a sweet dessert wine called Cahor, and Cabernet Sauvignon--much
better than that stuff that comes in a box back home. 25 U.S.
states sell Moldovan wine. Don't know what it costs but a bottle of the
good stuff goes for about $3 here. |
