Winemakers supported by USAID to increase wine quality

Chisinau, Dec. 2 / MOLDPRES /- Sixteen small and medium-sized wineries, including ten members of the Small Wine Producers Association have benefited from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) High-Value Agriculture in Moldova Project high-performance equipment and technical assistance to improve the wine production process and increase wine quality.

The new equipment worth about $ 170,000 includes stainless steel fermenters, stainless steel wine storage vessels, presses, temperature control systems, wine cleaning and sterilization filters etc.

The new equipment allows easy management of the wine production process in all stages of production, guarantees hygienic standards, allows the wine to mature and increase its quality. At the same time, the support provided by USAID generated additional investments of about 410 thousand dollars from wineries to improve the production process. Improved technologies allow small winemakers to bottle wines, adding value to the marketed product.

In the same initiative to support the efforts of small winemakers to increase the quality of wine, USAID helped the Association of Small Wine Producers to procure small equipment needed in the production and bottling and labeling of wine, which are provided on loan to members of the association during the harvest period, production and bottling of wines.

Nicolae Olărașu, who owns Crama Mingir, claims that the equipment offered by USAID allows him to ensure a continuous flow of wine production. Thanks to the new equipment, the winery will improve its production capacities and hopes to expand its sales in Romania, which will allow it to build a tasting room for tourists at the winery. "Apart from the equipment, we received production and marketing consultancy from the experts, we were helped in creating the website and the presentation materials", says the winemaker.

This year, Moldovan wines won over a thousand medals at international competitions. Out of them, over two hundred medals go to small wine producers, members of the Small Wine Producers Association of Moldova.

Photo: USAID