When symbolizing Russia with a drink, vodka typically comes to mind. In Russia, vodka is a common people's drink. The emperors of Imperial Russia and the general secretaries of the Communist Party primarily drank wine.
There is still a massive wine cellar in the basement of the Moscow Kremlin. According to the blueprints from the time of Ivan III in the 15th century, this space is said to connect the basement of the Kremlin to the lower reaches of the Moskva River in a maze-like fashion.
However, it is unclear how many wines are stored there. The Russian government has not disclosed the exact quantity of wines stored in this cellar or their value. Experts in the wine industry estimate that just the wines from the Imperial Russia era, which were moved to escape bombing by Nazi German forces during World War II, would number over 100,000 bottles.
Peter the Great, the first emperor of the Russian Empire, was a famous wine enthusiast. He was captivated after seeing the royal wine cellar at the Palace of Versailles in France. Upon returning to the Kremlin after his pilgrimage, he built a cellar modeled after the French royal one, filling it with expensive French wines. Empress Catherine took great care of the cellar, even inviting a sommelier from the French royal court.
After the Russian Revolution, the royal family was overturned, but the value of this wine cellar remained unchanged. Lenin sought to dispose of the wines, referring to them as "the legacy of imperialism." However, Sokolnikov, then the People's Commissar of Finance, countered by saying they were a "national treasure" and protected these wines.
Subsequently, the majority of the wines that the czars (Russian emperors) secretly drank were allocated to Communist Party officials and Soviet embassies abroad. Some were used as an important "trade means" for the Communist Party to earn foreign currency. Dictator Stalin enacted a special law in 1936 to protect the wine cellar.
The Allies were unlikely to turn down good wine. According to historians, during the Yalta Conference in 1945, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt drank aged wines that had matured in the Kremlin wine cellar while discussing post-war arrangements.
After the end of World War II, the world entered the Cold War period. The Soviet Union distanced itself from the world's first and second largest wine-producing countries, France and Italy. In the 1950s, Nikita Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party, devised a plan to create "pure Soviet Union wine" to rival French Burgundy and Bordeaux wines. Moldova, with its favorable climate and fertile soil, became the center of this plan.
Khrushchev designated Moldova as the "wine cellar of the Soviet Union." In the 1970s, Communist Party Secretary Leonid Brezhnev went a step further, establishing large-scale vineyards in Moldova and introducing the latest brewing equipment.
"Mileștii Mici" is a massive wine cellar created to fulfill these ambitions. A deep limestone mine was converted into a wine cellar. The underground storage extends a length of 200 km. The Guinness Book of World Records officially certified it as the largest wine cellar in the world. It is estimated that there are a total of 2 million bottles stored here.
Moldova's wine industry faced a dramatic turning point starting in 2006. In March 2006, Russia imposed a complete ban on the importation of Moldovan wine. This was a measure to deter Moldova's growing closeness with Western countries. Russia repeated the same action in 2013, during the period when Moldova was pushing for European Union (EU) membership.
Russia was displeased with Moldova’s desire to completely break away from the former Soviet Union. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, relations deteriorated to an all-time low. Moldova issued a statement criticizing Russia. In response, Russia escalated its import ban measures.
Moldova is a small country with a population of 3.5 million. It is even a landlocked nation without access to the sea. Eighty percent of its exports rely on Russia, the largest neighboring country. According to the Financial Times, Moldovan wine exports totaled $350 million in 2005. However, immediately after the Russian government announced the import ban in 2006, this figure plummeted to $137 million—less than one-third. In the wake of the ban, four out of ten wine farms closed down, leading to tens of thousands of unemployed workers across the wine-related sectors.
With the urgency of the situation, Moldova began to reach out to other countries in Europe and Asia to escape Russian influence. To compete in the global market, it improved its quality control systems to meet EU standards. Experts estimate that the history of Moldovan wine production spans over 2,000 years. They evaluated that Moldovan wine producers possess the resilience derived from a blend of Roman winemaking methods, Slavic agricultural techniques, and Ottoman culinary culture.
Prominent British wine critic Oz Clarke noted in a 2023 interview with Decanter magazine, "Moldovan wines compete confidently at a price point of around 20 euros (approximately 28,000 won) against French Bordeaux and Spanish Rioja wines."
Sapiens is a wine brand produced in the Stefan Vodă region, where the largest winery in Moldova, Purcari, is located. The Stefan Vodă region, approximately 30 km from the Black Sea, is influenced by both continental and maritime climates. The soil in this area is rich in soft limestone, making it conducive for grapevines to grow deep roots. Experts say that roots that grow deep enough absorb sufficient minerals, adding complexity to the wine's flavor.
Sapiens Fetească Neagră is made from the representative Fetească Neagră grape variety of this region. Fetească Neagră means "black maiden" in Moldovan. True to its name, this grape ripens to a dark color while exuding delicate aromas. It is resilient against harsh winters and pests.
Moldovan farmers say this grape variety resembles the Moldovan national identity, which has maintained its identity amidst external pressures. Overcoming extreme conditions while developing a unique character, this wine won the Daesang award in the continental red wine institutional sector at the 2024 Korea Alcohol Awards. The importer is Hwakyung Liquor.