Moldova now bottles “Freedom Wine” in support of Ukraine – Eastern European wine cellar threatens to end in war

The former Soviet republic, with a population of 2.6 million, is a larger export country. The Black Sea coastal state is among the twenty most important wine-producing countries in the world. –

Russia’s attack in February is disrupting the lives of neighboring countries in many ways, including wine exports.

Moldova aims to infiltrate Europe’s competitive wine business. Moldova, which is applying for EU membership, has moved closer to the West since the last decade and has a bilateral free trade agreement with the Union on wines.

Russia’s position as a major target collapsed even before the war. As late as the 21st century, 80% of Moldovan wines were chartered to Russia, according to statistics from the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture. In 2021, Russia’s share was only ten percent.

Now the main targets are Ukraine and the EU. Last year, 120 million liters of wine were delivered to the Union and less than nine million liters to Russia.

Russia’s exports are now declining further, according to AFP, a news agency that reported on the difficulties in wine production. Ukraine’s exports account for about four percent of total exports. Deliveries to Ukraine have also stopped.

The attacks on the port of Odessa have disrupted shipping and jammed consignments of wine already in transit. Odessa is estimated to have worth less than 700,000 euros worth of undelivered Moldovan wine.

Moldova’s largest winemaker Purcari flags direct support to Ukraine. The marketing campaign calls for war to the fullest.

Freedom Blend wine was launched in 2014 after Russia conquered the Crimean Peninsula. In addition to Moldova, the wine of freedom contains grapes from Ukraine and Georgia.

Purcari has also announced that it is sponsoring the provision of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.