Moldovan Winery Revamps Its Style

USAID Consultant Luca Zavarise (center) monitors the improvement in wine quality at Salcuta. November 23, 2007. When a bilateral trade dispute resulted in a Russian ban on Moldovan wine imports in March 2006, Salcuta Winery, like most Moldovan wineries, was devastated.  Historically, Russia has been Moldova’s principal wine market – accounting for over 80% of total exports.  Sending many of its employees on unpaid leave, Salcuta Winery had to quickly find a way to save its business.  As company officials began to pursue alternative markets, they realized that in order to be competitive outside of Russia they need to improve the company’s winemaking skills and adopt fresh wine styles similar to the younger, fruitier wines of Australia, California, and Chile.  This called for a new, modern wine-making program. Since 2005, USAID had been working closely with the Moldovan wine industry to access new markets, modernize its styles and improve its marketing and branding.  When the Russian ban was implemented, USAID was a key resource for the ailing wine industry.  To assist Salcuta, USAID secured an international winemaker familiar with the challenges facing the Moldovan wine sector.  During the 2006 harvest, winery staff received hands-on training in the latest developments in winemaking.  Employees were taught how to properly set up the winery’s equipment for collecting and crushing grapes, introduced changes to the fermentation process, and advised on the treatment and storage of the wines.  With these changes, Salcuta was able to produce new wine styles. Salcuta’s new wines are now selling in Poland under their new “Noi” brand.  To date, Salcuta has shipped two containers of “Noi” to Poland, valued at €45,000, and two more containers are planned.  The new wines sales account for 20% of Salcuta’s total sales and negotiations with potential buyers from Romania and Germany are in progress.  With assistance from USAID, Salcuta Winery took an important step towards diversifying its market by producing high-quality wines that adhere to internationally recognized standards.  Most importantly, Salcuta sustained its operations, saving approximately 100 jobs, and now serves as model for other Moldovan wineries.

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