Around 10,000 tourists are expected to visit Moldova for National Wine Day, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
The event will take place on October 3 and 4 in Chisinau’s Great National Assembly Square, while restaurants, hotels and wineries across the country will host related activities throughout the week.
Ștefan Iamandi, director of the National Office for Vine and Wine, said preparations for the anniversary edition began last year.
“Preparations started last year because this is an anniversary edition, the 25th,” Iamandi said on Moldova 1 on Monday, September 7.
According to Iamandi, National Wine Day has become an increasingly popular event among foreign tourists, with hotel bookings often made months in advance.
“This edition is a test for us, in terms of the visibility that has grown around this event. It is a magnet for the region. We have tens of thousands of tourists coming to Moldova specifically for this event. We know that hotel reservations are made at least six months in advance,” the ONVV director said.
This year, organizers want visitors to stay in Moldova beyond the two official days of celebrations. Restaurants will host wine tastings and themed sessions, while several wineries will prepare special programmes for visitors.
“It is important for us that tourists who come do not stay only for these two days, but come a week earlier. We have held meetings, including with the National Tourism Office and travel agencies, to present our activities for this week. The wineries already know our plans,” Iamandi said.
The National Office for Vine and Wine also plans to involve as many restaurants and hotels as possible in promoting Moldovan wines and indigenous grape varieties.
“We need to convince as many restaurants and hotels as possible to showcase our wines and organize themed sessions, so that all tourists who come know that, on designated days, indigenous varieties will be available in restaurants, along with educational sessions and materials about what these varieties represent,” Iamandi said.
He believes tourists arriving for National Wine Day could eventually become regular consumers of Moldovan wine.
“There is enormous potential. These 10,000 tourists we are talking about should become our potential loyal customers, not for just one year, but for the next five to ten years,” Iamandi said.
In the Great National Assembly Square, visitors will be able to attend wine tastings, as well as launches and presentations of limited-edition wines.
The programme will also include the “Wine School,” featuring masterclasses led by sommeliers, local cuisine and live music.
Visitors will receive a “Taster’s Notebook” and will also be able to visit wineries across Moldova, which will open their doors and offer special programmes throughout the week.