Such projections are contained in a study presented during a meeting of the MAIA Grapes, Wine, Winery and Processed Products Commodity Line Council (CP FVV).
Spring frosts and summer hydrological drought had a negative impact on the viticulture sector. Nevertheless, the condition of vine plantations of technical grape varieties is assessed as good, which bodes well for a rather high harvest – higher than last year. Nevertheless, it will be 20-30% below the long-term average.
At the moment, there are about 20 thousand hectares of plantations of technical grapes in full fruiting stage in the country. A significant part of these vineyards is scattered on plots of 1.5 hectares or less, cultivated by small peasant farms. The age of many vineyards exceeds 20 years. The dynamics of areas in winegrowing in Moldova over the last few years is sharply negative: for one planted hectare of new plantations there are five uprooted old vineyards.
According to Gheorghiu Gaberi, Chairman of the Association of Moldovan Grape Producers and Exporters, due to low yields in previous years, the demand for technical grapes from processors exceeds the supply. Moreover, last year Moldova exported about 1.7 thousand tons of technical grapes. At the same time, the stocks of wine materials at Moldovan wineries at the beginning of this season are the lowest for many years.
As a result, the participants of the CP FVV Council recommended to the operators of the winemaking industry the indicative prices for technical grapes of the harvest-2025 at the level of 6.5-7.5 lei/kg (for red varieties – lower, for white varieties – upper limit of the range). For grapes of highly liquid varieties of local selection, as well as for wines with protected geographical name, it is recommended to set the price 15-30% higher, and for wine material for distillation – 25-30% lower than the indicative level. Last year, the lower indicative limit was the price of 5.5 lei/kg.
Commenting on these indicators, Gheorghiu Gaber said that the indicative price was calculated on the basis of the level of expenses for the maintenance of vineyards. This year, according to CP FVV, it ranges between 52-80 thousand lei/ha. Accordingly, the income of winegrowers can fluctuate greatly depending on the level of applied agro-technologies, yield, varietal composition and quality of production, type of harvesting logistics and many other things.
For example, according to the expert, last year, the “demand price” for “Viorica” grapes was 11 lei/kg, for “Floricica” grapes in boxes – 15 lei/kg. Whereas for grapes of not very popular varieties, delivered to wineries in bulk in trailers (“boats”), the price could not exceed 5 lei/kg.
