The culture of vines in the Moldova region has its origins in prehistory. Prints of Vitus Teutonica leaves, found near Naslavcea on the Nistru riverbank are millions of years old. The ancient Dacians, a branch of the Thracians, discovered how to make wine out of grapes long before most other people.

In the first millennium BC Greek colonies situated on the Danube, Nistru and Prut rivers exported large quantities of wine to the cities of Greece. The Romans, after they conquered Dacia (1st cent. AD), transformed the region into a land of vineyards and cornfields. In the 14th century, when the feudal state of Moldova was constituted, vine cultivation really blossomed. In the 19th century Basarabia, (the name of the part of Moldova situated between the Prut and Nistru rivers) became one of the biggest wine exporters in the region. The wine production was based on the cultivation of domestic types of vines Rara neagra, Galbena, Zghiharda, Batuta neagra, Feteasca neagra, Tamiioasa, Tita caprei, Pasareasca, Cabasia, and others. In the second half of the 19th century a mass planting of foreign vines, especially French, took place. At the end of the century the vines were affected by phyloxera, a vine disease, which attacked many varieties of regional origin.

The Moldovans’ art of producing grape must and wine for consumption by themselves and others has remained an integral part of the country’s culture.

In many old texts, from the Bible to medieval chronicles or the accounts of Moldova’s rulers, great attention is paid to wine consumption. The golden rule is to be found in Proverbs: “Taste but don’t drink! Taste as much as it pleases you! You must control the wine and the wine must not control you! Always maintain your human dignity!”

The emblem of Moldovan wines is the white stork. A legend says that a huge army was besieging the fortress of Soroca. Though the siege lasted for months, the fortress could not be conquered. Why? Because several storks had their nests in the fortress, and they were bringing grapes from nearby vineyards for their chicks. The soldiers, as well as the baby storks, ate the grapes. The grapes gave the soldiers strength and they could repel every attack of the enemy with increased strength.

When the Voevod (Governor) of Moldova arrived with his army, he freed the fortress and drove off the enemy. All the soldiers who had been under siege in the fortress were alive and unharmed. Since then, out of gratitude to the white storks, local people greet them on the outskirts of their communities when spring arrives and when autumn starts they see them off. White storks are considered to bring good luck and spread the fame of Moldovan viticulture and winemakers to the far corners of the world.

Tags: wine