DAN'S WINE BLOG- THIS WEEK'S WINE REVIEW

Last Friday my tasting panel and I conducted a tasting of thirty Saperavi wines for an article I am writing for WBM magazine. Twenty-nine of those wines were Aussies and one came from #Moldova (this is the wine that this week’s wine review is about).

?I have written about Moldova before (WBM, “The Making of Moldova”, Mar-Apr 2020 – see link below), however, I wonder how many of you even know that there is a country in Eastern Europe called Moldova? Well, actually the Republic of Moldova. It is a small (about half the size of Tasmania) landlocked nation that sits between Romania and Ukraine. It is a country of some 2.8 million people with Chi?in?u as their capital and largest city. Like every other state in Eastern Europe it has had a tumultuous past with changing borders and masters especially since 1812 when the Ottoman Empire ceded it to the Russian Empire. It has been an independent nation since the August 27, 1991.

?They have a number of achievements on record, starting with the fact that they have proof that vines were cultivated there around 2,800 BC (that is 4,800 years ago). Secondly, they have the largest wine collection in the world, with nearly two million bottles of wine housed in a 120 kilometre series of underground tunnels and cellars, in which they also conduct the world’s only underground half-marathon race.

?Their latest and probably greatest achievement comes from the wines of #ChateauPurcari. This popular winery, located in the Purcari wine region (aka Nistrean?), exports to most of Europe and North America. Decreed by Russian Emperor Nicholas 1 in 1827 it has been producing award winning wines ever since. Their wines were served to royalty across Europe including to Queen Victoria. During the Soviet era the winery mass-produced industrial wines as demanded by the Soviets. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the winery was closed until 2003 when it was revived and revitalised. Since then they have been again producing quality wine.

?They have recently released the latest PURCARI 2020 FREEDOM BLEND – Tribute Edition. This wine has been produced since 2014 when the Russian hordes first took over Ukraine’s Donbas and Crimea regions.

?The wine is a blend of 65% #Saperavi (Georgian native variety), 20% #RaraNeagr? (Moldovan) and 15% #Bastardo (Ukraine). It has a delightfully deep red/purple colour, a gorgeous bouquet of freshly roasted beetroot with a hint of nutmeg and cloves – very attractive!

?The palate is superb, rich, well rounded, beautifully balanced and with lashings of complex flavours and a smidge of cinnamon on the delightful, long, lingering finish. This is a big wine that is raring to go right now, is very moreish and truly OUTSTANDING!

?What makes this wine even more special is the fact that since February this year, the proceeds of the sales of this wine have been dedicated to feeding Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. Such a noble cause, no wonder that Moldova is known as “the small country with a BIG heart”.

?A toast to the freedom and self-determination of all the Eastern European states, and a big thank you to the Moldavian wine industry for doing their part in helping the displaced and oppressed.

?Winery website:?www.purcari.wine/en/

Article Link: https://www.wineassist.com.au/dans-articles/the-making-of-moldova