I was wondering in my previous article if the wine (and by “wine” I mean most categories of wine sold in Moldovan stores) can compete with beer for its place on our menu.

One of the reasons that makes me believe that wine is very different from beer, from the consumer’s perspective, is that wine has a very high alcohol content. Of course there are many categories of wine, however the majority of the ones you find in stores today have 12% and more. Even on the international market, most wines have between 12% and 15% alcohol.

Often talking to peasants, I was told that “bottled wine has alcohol in it”. This opinion is surprisingly widespread among the general public. Thus, it would be a great advantage if Moldovan producers would indeed launch a wine with an alcohol concentration of 8-10%. Moldovans really like their homemade wine, which more often results from spontaneous fermentation and has a fairly low alcohol content (7-8%), if alcohol or sugar are not intentionally added and the wine is „clean”.

Presently there is a worldwide trend (Aha Roedinger studied this phenomenon for a master’s thesis). Trying to pick the grapes at phenolic maturity to obtain wines with aromas of ripe fruit and avoid green flavours, winemakers often get wines with a higher alcohol content. This wine is not as “drinkable” and less elegant. Winemakers in countries like the US or Australia noted that consumers prefer unctuous wines with intense aromas of ripe fruit, and for these features they are ready to make the wine more alcoholic.

The Wine Magazine did a survey and asked its respondents what did they think about winemakers seeking phenolic ripeness which results in higher alcohol content. 44% of respondents answered that in this way the elegance and the fineness are lost.

But what do Moldovans prefer? Ripe fruit flavours? Are they really disturbed by the green flavours in wine?

A study conducted by Magenta Consulting on a sample of 3000 people from various urban and rural areas shows that many Moldovans love homemade wine, arguing that it would be more natural, while its service is often accompanied by statements such as “the best wine in the village “.

Given these answers, Moldovan producers should provide more specific products which would appeal to consumers. The message that I hear more often, however, is „We (the producers) make good wine and you (the consumers) don’t know it therefore you have to drink what we offer. A quite backward approach in the era of customer-centric marketing.

To be continued

Elena Cristea, November 11th, 2015