This decision was taken on July 16 by the Cabinet of Ministers. Its goal is to harmonize the national norms with the European ones.
The amendments describe the method of production, alcohol content and other parameters. For example, potato tincture is produced exclusively by alcoholic fermentation of potato tubers and distillation with alcohol content of less than 94.8% of the volume, so that the aroma and taste of the original raw material is preserved, and the strength of alcohol is not less than 38% of the volume.
In parallel, the requirements for some existing categories such as “Cocktail”, “Tequila”, “Vodka” and “Flavored Vodka” have been changed. For example, for the Cocktail category, the requirements for citric acid mass fraction and carbon dioxide pressure have been changed. For tequila – on the initial raw material, drink strength, mass fraction of methyl alcohol. For vodka – on the level of residual substances in ethyl alcohol, and for flavored vodka – on the mass fraction of methyl alcohol, technological processes and the use of sweeteners.
“Moldova is increasingly recognized as a regional and even European leader in wine production. This decision will help us facilitate exports,” Prime Minister Dorin Recean said.
According to the authors, the need for the amendments came from economic entities.
An additional draft was also adopted, concerning the adjustment of the requirements for the awarding of the Grand Prize for special merits in the vine-growing and wine-making sector, taking into account the new production technologies. In order to reflect the diversity and potential of the industry, it was decided to establish two more awards: the Trofeul creatorului de vin (Wine Creator Award) for small producers and the Trofeul creatorului de destilate (Distillate Creator Award) for producers of wine-based alcoholic beverages.
