Chișinău hosted the “Butoiaș” fair, celebrating grapes and wine
Ripe grapes, seasonal agricultural products, and winemaking accessories were all featured at the "Butoiaș" fair held in Chisinau. Winegrowers from across the country brought their harvests to sell, while enthusiasts of homemade wine seized the opportunity to select the best grape varieties for the perfect taste.
People came early in the morning to buy grapes for wine.
"-We bought Cabernet, Merlot and a little Moldova, we'll start making it because the holidays are approaching and we'll send some to the children. - And what do you think of the prices? - A bit high, but we have no choice".
"We bought grapes for wine. Lidia, Muscat, Ottonel, very tasty and Aligote. - How much wine do you plan to make? - 150 liters, for a small family. Given the quality of the grapes, the prices are excellent".
"-Five varieties. The more grape varieties, the better the wine. - How much wine do you plan to make? - Not much, probably 150 liters, just for me. The price is normal, I think, for today".
Sellers say they are lacking buyers, and those who do buy much less than in other years. At the same time, they say that although the harvest was rich, it was affected by the heavy rains.
"Few buyers and now they are not buying in the quantities they bought last year. At most they can take 300, but that is very rare, compared to previous years when they took a ton".
"This year is very weak compared to other years. In other years there were more buyers, but this year many even prefer to buy the juice from other producers, because they make juice and do not come to the market much".
"We are producers of Aligote, table grapes, Moldova and now after these rains with Moldova there are problems and it is a bit difficult to sell".
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2025 the wine grape harvest is estimated to be 30-60% higher than in 2024.
Author: Cornelia Cornea
