Most consumers buy wine without paying attention to their quality category. Many still use the names of quality categories accepted in the Soviet times. Someone has got used to a more modern classification adopted during the years of independence of our country. However since 7 May 2017 there has been a new classification of wines in Moldova (the quality pyramid is attached).
During Soviet times, still wines were divided by quality in ordinary, fine and collection wines. After Moldova had become independent, in 1994 the Moldovan Parliament adopted the first Law on Vine and Wine in the post-Soviet space. By quality characteristics and aging period, wines were divided in ordinary and premium. The same law contained a chapter on designation of names to wines and other wine products by their place of origin.
In the 2000s
In 2006 a new Law on Vine and Wine was adopted, together with quite an extended classification of wines by quality. At the beginning, wines were divided in two groups: ordinary and quality.
Ordinary was considered to be wine obtained from grapes with ordinary quality characteristics, by use of general technology. In their turn, ordinary wines were divided in tulburel, young wine, table wine and peasant wine (excluded later).
Tulburel – ordinary wine at the last stage of alcoholic fermentation not separated from yeast. It is consumed in the vintage year.
Young wine – ordinary wine bottled and sold in the vintage year. It includes Beaujolais nouveau.
Table wine – ordinary wine with the total volume of ethyl alcohol of at least 9% consumed in the year following the vintage year.
Quality was considered to be wine obtained from a variety of grapes with high quality characteristics, by a special technology, with the total volume of ethyl alcohol of at least 10% for white wines and 10.5% for rose and red wines.
Quality wines were divided in select, aged, aged reserve, collection, with geographical indication, with appellation of origin, with controlled appellation of origin.
Select wine (labels stated vin selectat) – with the total volume of ethyl alcohol of at least 12%, consumed in the year following the vintage year;
Aged wine was matured in reservoirs before bottling until getting a well-defined hue of maturity for at least 6 months for white wines and at least 12 months for rose and red wines.
Aged reserve wine was matured for at least 1 year for white wines and at least 1.5 years for rose and red wines.
Collection wine could be obtained from two types of quality wines. When aged wine was additionally matured in bottles for at least 2 years for white wines, and at least 2.5 years for rose and red wines. Or when aged reserve wine was additionally matured in bottles for at least 1.5 years for white wines and at least 2 years for rose and red wines.
Nowadays
The Parliament has made new amendments to the Law on Vine and Wine, according to which, starting with 7 May 2017 wines are classified as follows:
At the top of the quality pyramid, there are wines with protected designation of origin. The labels on the bottles of such wines will have this mark.
One step below, there are wines with protected geographical indication. A corresponding labeling mark has been developed for them.
At the third quality stage, there are wines without protected designation of origin and without protected geographical indication, but with the name of a grape variety. They are called varietal wines.
In the design of these wines is used familiar to consumers sign of the national wine brand of domestic wines – Wine of Moldova.
Wines without protected designation of origin and without protected geographical indication and without a name for a grape variety, simply called wines, belong to the lower quality category.
The quality pyramid
