The small producer, who grew out of home winemaking, reached the creation of a second series of wines, calling it with the Gagauz word Ciotra (Chotra). Through this, the Kara Gani winery remains true to the chosen path – producing wines with a Gagauz accent. Wines of the new line debuted during the 2019 National Wine Day festivities.
What is a Ciotra, exactly?
Ciotra is a national Gagauz wooden vessel, where, since olden times, the best and most delicious of wines are poured for guests that are dear and pleasant to the heart” Kara Gani director Lora Cerven explains. “It is a symbol of Gagauz hospitality. There is no Gagauz event without it, they take the chotra with them when they invite guests to weddings and baptisms, and also when meeting dear guests. In our view, Feteasca Neagră, 2018 and Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 are our best wines, thus we bottled them into our Ciotra. We will continue to produce our best wines in this series, gradually adding something new to it.
With Ciotra wines we symbolically invite our dear guests to visit us. Having chosen the name for the Ciotra wine series, we pay tribute to Gagauz traditions and continue our “Wine with Gagauz accent” theme. I very much wish for these wines to be appreciated by both potential buyers and current lovers of our wines. I think they will not only buy them, but they will also come visit us.”
Ciotra Feteasca Neagră, 2018
This is our first Feteasca Neagră harvest. We did not know how this variety will behave, what potential is laid in it, – says winemaker Gheorghe Cerven. – Foreign tourists tell us that they’ve tried Cabernet and Merlot wines in other countries, while the southern Feteasca Neagră is more interesting for them. This wine is produced according to classic technology and went through malolactic fermentation. Together with our consultant Nadejda Mardari we have decided that Feteasca Neagră would be produced without oak maturation. We managed to obtain 2 thousand bottles from our 2018 harvest.”
The wine is of a dark-ruby color, with ruby notes on the edges. The first nose is black berries, among which there is a hint of blackthorn. Dense thin legs remain on the glass walls. Alcohol content – 15%. Bottling took place in May 2019, which means the wine was in the bottle for more than six months.
The aroma features notes of dried plum, blackthorn, black chokeberry, black cherry. Since the notes of spices characteristical of Feteasca Neagră did not appear in the aroma, I conclude that it would be better to aerate the wine (by pouring it into a decanter or a jug) for the flavor to be revealed quicker. Since I did not do so, in my case it was only after an hour that a light note of black pepper and a slight shade of nutmeg appeared in the flavor of my opened bottle of Ciotra Feteasca Neagră, 2018. It’s interesting how every wine, even from the same grape variety, comes out in its own special way. It would seem that each time a set of features characteristic to a certain variety add up to an aromatic mosaic, making each wine interesting. Of course, if the wine was knowledgeably made.
Middle body, mature tannins. The taste includes black chokeberry and dry black cherry. The aftertaste is cherry.
Ciotra Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017
This wine is also produced according to the classic winemaking scheme, with malolactic fermentation and 12 months of maturation in French barriques of second filling. Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 was produced in a batch of 4,000 bottles. Bottled in May 2019.
The wine is of a dark ruby color, with ruby notes on the rim. Prepare for a long wait before getting to know this wine well. The first nose is black overripe berries. Having met the primary flavor, I decanted Ciotra Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017, which I recommend being done by you. The empty glass had Brettanomyces flavors. A few minutes later, the same empty glass began letting out fruity flavors. In general, the wine did not promise boorishness at a closer look.
After 1 hour and 40 minutes of keeping the wine in a decanter, I poured it into a glass. The bouquet featured animal tones and earthy shades. Five hours later, the flavors were tobacco, eucalyptus, dried plum, dried cherry, blackthorn, cherry jam. The emptied glass delivers fruit flavors. Not a simple wine.
Ciotra Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 – middle body, vivid acidity. The taste is dry features sluggish cherry, slightly binding. The aftertaste has a shade of cocoa.
With support from
The founders of Kara Gani are constantly investing in the development of their business. Recently they finished building another small wine storage unit and are continuously landscaping the territory. But change would not be so fast if the Cerven family was left to face a mass of problems that small producers inevitably face alone.
We received the first assistance in 2016 on winemaking: within the framework of the Moldova Competitiveness Project program for the support of small producers (financed by USAID and the Government of Sweden) – a grant for the purchase of winemaking equipment – Lora Cerven says. Then we bought part of the tanks in which our wines are fermented in a controlled temperature, as well as French barriques. Within the framework of the same program, in order to improve the quality of the product, which is implemented by the MCP together with the National Office for Wine and Vine a consultant was assigned to us, which we find very important. Nadejda Mardari helped us a great deal, because we do not have professional education in the field of winemaking. In order for wines to enter the market, it was necessary to develop a brand. Thanks to “MCP” the “43 Oz” specialized agency helped develop the Kara Gani brand, including the brand-book and wine labels. For small producers like us, this is very serious help. It is also difficult for us to participate independently in competitions, and with the financial support of “MCP” (participation is partially covered) Kara Gani wines are promoted at various international competitions where they win medals.
We combine production with tourism by creating a traditional Gagauz courtyard as well as a mini-museum, in which we are collecting objects that tell about the life and traditions of the Gagauz people. In order to further develop the tourist destination we also received a grant for the purchase of equipment for the kitchen of the restaurant. And we hope for some help in designing the hotel and purchasing equipment for it. We are very grateful for this cooperation. “
Another seemingly small thing are the road signs with the “Kara Gani Winery” brand name on them (installed at the initiative and from the funds of the “MCP”). When Lora and Gheorghe Cerven first saw them, it was so unexpected that it brought them tears of joy. They felt their business had finally made it as a winery.
Kara Gani is already familiar not only to the usual local wine lovers, but also to embassies. Various diplomatic missions come to the winery to rest. The geography of the countries from which tourists come is very broad. Guests from almost all states of Europe and CIS, Japan, China, USA, Argentina, New Zealand were received here. Of course, most are from neighboring countries. And it is very important for many residents of Moldova to be interested to see where Kara Gani wines are born and to get acquainted with Gagauz traditions. For them, this is an additional discovery of their country.
Thanks to tourism, approximately 40% of the wine is sold at premise. After all, wine is perceived differently at the winery: it is possible not only to try, but also to see people who produced it, to hear their stories. The owners do not rule out that when the hotel appears and the roads are completely built, they may even sell 90% of the wines locally.
Where to buy?
Kara Gani wines, including the new Ciotra series, are sold in wine.md and Em-bar-go wine shops, as well as in some restaurants.
Work is currently underway to send the first batch of wines overseas. Friends of the Cerven family in Denmark want to help promote the Ciotra wine series in this Scandinavian country.
