Moldova, one of China's major wine importing countries

Every year when collecting data on China's wine imports, we see a country like Moldova. This unfamiliar name ranks in the top 13 in both import volume and import value, and has repeatedly surpassed popular countries such as Argentina and Portugal.

Moldova, located between Ukraine and Romania, is a small country with only 33800 square kilometers. It was once a member republic of the former Soviet Union and now aims to join the European Union.

Wine History

Archaeological evidence suggests that wine has existed in Moldova for millions of years. Fossil grapevines dating back 25 million years have been discovered around villages in the north of Naslavcia. Further evidence suggests that as early as 3000 BC, indigenous peoples began using these grapes to make wine.

Wine Overview

Moldova has a rich and ancient tradition of wine making, and in the fields of grape cultivation and wine making, it is quite excellent in terms of basic research, application technology promotion, and product packaging.

Moldova is also one of the five founding countries of the International Organization of Vines and Wines (OIV) (the other four being France, Spain, Italy, and Germany), and is the 10th largest wine producing country in the world, known as the "land of grapes" and the "kingdom of wine".

The grape planting area in Moldova is 114,000 hectares, which is similar in size to the Bordeaux wine region in France. Moldova has the highest density of vineyards in the world, with vineyards covering 3.8% of the country's land area and 7% of arable land. Moldova has 140 wine companies, with a wine industry employing approximately 250000 people, accounting for 3.2% of GDP and 7.5% of exports.

88% of the wine produced in Moldova is still wine, 6% is sparkling wine, and 6% is special wine. Every year, it exports to 30 countries and regions around the world, of which 55% is red wine.