Château Purcari

Château Purcari is the largest wine exporter from Moldova. They manage ~1,400 hectares of vineyards and own 4 wineries in Romania and Moldova. The group has received dozens of awards for the quality of their wines, including this year. Château Purcari sold millions of bottles in the last years and have hundreds of employees. This is their website where you can read more about them.

I bought Moldovan wine from one of the vineries in the group. I did found out from a chat on social media about one of their limited edition wines. Château Purcari was founded in 1827, a year embossed on the bottles, as seen in the picture below. In the picture above is Château Purcari, the mansion which houses the winery and in which guests can book a room or go for a meal. Tours of the winery are also held, which include a visit to their cellar dating back to the 1560s. Have a look on their website to see the stunning rooms from the hotel.

After seeing their limited wines, I’ve decided to buy 2 different wines.

Freedom Blend was created from 3 indigenous grape varieties: 65% Saperavi from Georgia, 20% Rară Neagră from Moldova, and 15% Bastardo from Ukraine. It is a blend of Georgian heart, Moldovan land, and Ukrainian free spirit.

Freedom Blend was created in 2014, at a time when all these three countries were invaded by russia. It was based on a 2011 vintage, created to mark 20 years of freedom from the ussr. In 2014 it became an outcry against the military aggression: Transnistria in 1992 (Moldova), Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008 (Georgia), Crimea and Donbas in 2014 (Ukraine).
After the full-scale invasion and with the Ukrainian border at only 15 km or less than 10 miles from them, Château Purcari housed thousands of refugees, for free, as they had to flee their homes. Now the 2021 wine is available.

The red wine was aged for 12 months in French oak barrique. It pairs with desserts with dark chocolate or, as a vegan, I will have it with Redefined meat.
For connoisseurs, the wine has: “almond accents and a complex bouquet dominated by cherries, blackberries, and currants, complemented by dried plums, red pepper, and savoury notes of moist wood and leather. The full and fruity taste captures the elegance and refinement, and gives a velvet aftertaste.”

The second wine I bought from them is another one made in 2021, Maluri de Prut. Purcari blended 2 indigenous varieties to create this wine, the Romanian Feteasca Neagră and the Moldovan Rara Neagră.

Maluri de Prut can be translated as ‘both banks of the river Prut’. Prut is the river dividing Romania and Moldova. As they describe the wine, it “combines the best from both sides of the Prut river”. The blue-yellow-red lines represent the flags of Romania and Moldova which are similar. The differences are minimal, the coat of arms appears on the Moldovan one (which is like the Romanian with a small variation) and the blue is a slightly different shade.

The wine is aged for 6 months in French oak barrique. It pairs with meats, so I will have it with Redefined meat.
For connoisseurs, the wine has a: “predominant aroma of berries and raisins, followed by emotional overtones of vanilla. The rich taste, full of vigour harmoniously combines notes of cherry and plum, passing in a long and balanced aftertaste.”

The wines are not cheap, but they are a limited edition, with a wonderful story, from a brand which has strong moral values. They do have other types of wines too, including white and rose. I like that their choice was to make a strong red wine for these two limited edition blends. These wines are available online in UK, many countries in Europe, and US.