🍇 Moldova

Moldova is a grape variety, not a country: a late-ripening table grape with dark, almost black berries. It was bred in the Republic of Moldova, and the VIVC catalogue lists it as a table grape, meaning it is eaten fresh. Wine and viticulture in the country have their own page, "Moldovan wine".

The cross was made in 1961 by the breeders M. S. Zhuravel, I. P. Gavrilov, G. M. Borzikova and N. I. Guzun. The parents are the table grape Guzal Kara and the French hybrid Villard Blanc (Seyve-Villard 12-375). VIVC confirms this pedigree with DNA markers and classes the variety as an interspecific cross. It was approved for production in 1980.

In Moldova's vineyard register the variety covers 9,197.8 ha, more than any other table grape. Next come Ranii Magaraci (603 ha), Codreanca (505 ha) and Cardinal (261 ha). Moldova itself has become a parent of other varieties, among them Codreanca and Arcadia.

The growing season lasts 145–160 days. Buds open at the end of April, flowering falls in the second ten days of June, and the bunches reach full ripeness in early October. In trials in the Codru wine region, a single vine gave roughly 9 to 21 kg of grapes.

Why it matters to you. Moldova is a late-autumn grape: the fresh crop reaches the stalls in October. It is a table grape, so do not look for wine under its name. If you see the word Moldova on a wine label, it refers to the country, not to this grape.