“Moldova” of the new harvest has already been presented by several vineyards at the recent table grape festival in Cimislia. This week, the first lots of this grape variety appeared in “boutique” retailers in Chisinau at a price of 30 lei/kg. Market operators tend to consider such offers as a “hype” rather than a real start of sales. But it is already close.
According to Sergei Tutovan, the chairman of the Association of table grapes producers from Cahul region, “Moldova” is close to full maturity in terms of size and color of berries. However, in terms of sugar content (17-19%) this variety has not yet reached the level preferred by consumers.
This year, due to specific weather conditions, the ripening of “Moldova” in many grape-growing regions was delayed by an average of a week. Nevertheless, in the vineyards formed according to the “Pergola” type, the first harvest of late varieties of grapes, including “Moldavia”, can begin already next week. And there may be at least three stages of harvesting, as the grapes reach optimal ripeness.
As the chairman of the national Association of table grapes producers and exporters Gheorghe Gaber notes, weather forecasts promise a warm fall, with almost summer atmospheric temperatures until October. This means that the supply of “Moldova” to commercial networks “directly from the plantations” may last two full months of fall, which will provide Moldovan grapes on foreign markets with a “competitive advantage of freshness”.
Currently, the register of the National Office of Grapes and Wine includes about 16 thousand hectares of table grape plantations. According to expert estimates, more than 80% of the area falls on “Moldova” grapes. In fact, the total area of table grape plantations is 1-2 thousand hectares larger due to “half-abandoned” vineyards. Their yield is low, but their products are still harvested and get into commercial turnover, mainly as raw materials for distillation. This year, the potential harvest of table grapes is estimated by the MAIA Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry at 150 thousand tons.
Read more in the Friday edition of the weekly Logos Press
