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SEE THE WINNERS

OFFICIAL REGULATIONS

“WINE OF MOLDOVA” CONTEST, 4-5 DECEMBER 2025

Chișinău, Republic of Moldova

1. ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPETITION

The National Competition “THE WINE OF MOLDOVA” is dedicated to wines, sparkling wines produced from native varieties, new Moldovan-bred varieties, European varieties, blended wines, and spirit drinks of vitivinicultural origin.


The “THE WINE OF MOLDOVA” Competition is organized by the Public Institution “National Office of Vine and Wine” with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, in collaboration with the Associations of producers of vitivinicultural products with Protected Geographical Indication, and other professional associations.


The Competition is a national-level event, organized in accordance with the rules of international wine competitions issued by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (O.I.V.). The evaluation of the organoleptic qualities of wines is carried out by a jury composed of international experts (70%) and local experts (30%), professionals with experience in international competitions and strong expertise in professional wine tasting and evaluation.


The distinctions awarded to the winners will be presented in the form of medals and diplomas. Upon the producer’s request, the organizer will offer free medal stickers for placement on the bottle, based on the certificate of conformity for the product volume declared in the registration form. According to O.I.V. regulations, only 30% of the total number of samples participating in the competition will be awarded distinctions.


The objectives of the competition are: 

  • evaluating the quality level of wines, sparkling wines produced from native varieties, new Moldovan-bred varieties, European varieties, blended wines, and spirit drinks of vitivinicultural origin.
  • evaluating the quality level, promotion, and positioning on local and international markets of wines and spirit drinks of vitivinicultural origin under the national brand “Wine of Moldova. Surprisingly Good”.


The contest will take place on December 4 to 5, 2025.

2. RECEPTION OF SAMPLES

Wineries from the Republic of Moldova registered in the Vitivinicultural Register and contributors to the Vine and Wine Fund may participate, registering wines produced from native varieties such as: Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Rară Neagră, Fetească Neagră; new Moldovan-bred varieties such as: Viorica, Legenda, Alb de Onițcani, Riton, etc.; wines obtained by blending these with European varieties, as well as white, red, rosé wines produced from international varieties, single-varietal or blended, and spirit drinks of vitivinicultural origin.


Wines and vitivinicultural products presented for evaluation will be grouped by categories according to the O.I.V. Regulations, Annex 1.

Each wine sample or vitivinicultural product entered must consist of 3 bottles of 0.75 L each (in certain cases, 0.5 L and 1 L bottles may be accepted), 2 bottles of 1.5 L, and 3 bottles of 0.5 L for spirit drinks based on wine.


All samples must be intended for sale and come from a homogeneous lot of at least 1,000 liters. In some cases (small producers), when production of a particular wine is extremely limited (botrytized wines, ice wines, wine collections, etc.), a reduced volume of no less than 100 liters may be accepted for justified production reasons.


Each sample must be presented with the commercial label and packaging, in accordance with national legislation.

Deadline for collecting the samples – November 28, 2025

3. REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Each wine or vitivinicultural product sample is considered registered once the online registration form has been submitted. The form includes:

Participant information: company name, contact person, administrator, legal address;
Exact product name according to Moldovan legislation;
Classification category according to Annex I;
Harvest year (when applicable);
Variety/varieties and proportions (percentage composition in the wine);
Volume of wine corresponding to the presented sample. This volume must be at least 1,000 liters. In cases of very limited production (botrytized wines, ice wines, collection wines, etc.) the minimum volume may be 100 liters;
Physico-chemical indices: alcohol, sugar content, titratable acids, volatile acids, sulfur dioxide content;
Grape yield, t/ha;
Vineyard density, vines/ha;
Vineyard altitude;
Vineyard exposition;
Price, MDL/bottle;
Name and signature of the authorized person.
The registration form link will be sent to the participant by e-mail.
Attention! The registration form must be completed once for each sample entered in the Competition.

PARTICIPATION FORM

*The link to the Registration Form will be sent to the participant by e-mail.

4. SAMPLE COLLECTION

Participation in the competition is free of charge for wineries that contribute to the Vine and Wine Fund.

Sample reception will follow the online registration data (completion of the online registration form), along with the Sample Collection Report and the Quality Certificate.

Samples accepted in the competition remain in the possession of the Organizer.

5. SORTING AND CLASSIFICATION OF SAMPLES

Verification and registration of samples is carried out by the Organizer based on registration forms. The Organizer guarantees proper storage conditions: appropriate temperature and humidity.

Based on the registration forms and physico-chemical indices, samples will be classified into categories according to Annex 1.

The order of presentation in the Competition will be determined by descending harvest year and ascending alcohol and sugar concentration.

Category No. 1 – Still White Wines:

· blends, varietal wines from non-aromatic varieties

· varietal wines from aromatic varieties

· superior quality wines – aged and collection wines

Category No. 2 – Still Red and Rosé Wines:

· blends, varietal wines from non-aromatic varieties

· varietal wines from aromatic varieties

· superior quality wines – aged and collection wines

Category No. 3 – Sparkling Wines (white, red, rosé):

· semi-sparkling wines

· sparkling wines (natural and classic)

Category No. 4 – Fortified and Aromatized Wines:

· fortified wines from non-aromatic varieties

· fortified wines from aromatic varieties

· aromatized wines

Category No. 5 – Spirit Drinks:

· brandy, divin, vodka, eau-de-vie, balsam, liqueur, etc. based on wine or wine distillate

Each sample must be accompanied by the Sample Collection Act and the Quality Certificate.

A Registration Form (online) must be completed for each sample.

6. THE JURY

Each commission will consist of 5 (five) or 7 (seven) members, of whom 3 (three) will be international experts and 2 (two) local experts, or 4 (four) and 3 (three). Each tasting commission will be led by a chairperson. Jury members must work in silence and must not express personal impressions through gestures or facial expressions during tasting.

Each jury will taste up to a maximum of 50 wine samples per day and up to 30 spirit samples per day, depending on the commission.

Tasting will be conducted using an Automated Information System for tasting data. Results from each tasting will be entered electronically by each expert, ensuring accuracy and immediate presentation after the tasting session.

The jury operates under the authority of the President of the “Wine of Moldova” Competition, appointed by order of the Director of the National Office of Vine and Wine.

Concursul este monitorizat de un Prezidiu format din: 

Preşedinte,

Oenolog consultant,

Consultant juridic.

Commission chairpersons may request a second tasting of a sample in the following cases:

upon request of the commission chairperson,

upon request of most commission members,

when there are significant score discrepancies among commission members.

The tasting hall must be soundproof, well-lit, and well-ventilated. Entry is formally prohibited for any person not directly involved in the organization of the tasting competition. Smoking and mobile phone use are strictly prohibited in the hall.

Este interzisă (formal) intrarea oricărei persoane care nu este implicată direct în organizarea concursului de degustare.

De asemenea, în sală este interzis fumatul şi utilizarea telefoanelor mobile.

INTERNATIONAL JURY

COTEA V. Valeriu

Universitatea pentru Științele Vieții Iaşi, Aleea M. Sadoveanu nr. 3, Iași, Inginer horticultor, Profesor universitar

 ARINA ANTOCE

Profesor de oenologie și coordonator de programe de master și doctorat la Universitatea de Științe Agronomice și Medicină Veterinară din București. Expert și delegat desemnat de MADR în comisiile de Sănătate și Securitate și Oenologie ale OIV.

AURIKA KROITOR

Commercial Director

Vaziani Company LTD, Georgia. Leading international marketing and export sales of Georgian wines.

Managing partnerships, trade fairs, and global wine competitions.

Overseeing budgets, contracts, and logistics for export operations.

Dr Caroline Gilby MW

Caroline a fost prima străină care a primit titlul „Prieten al Viticultorilor Maghiari” în 2018, în 2022 a devenit „Cea mai bună personalitate din domeniul vinului din Balcani”, iar în 2024 a fost desemnată „Personalitatea Vinului a Anului” în Serbia. Caroline deține un doctorat în biologie vegetală și este Master of Wine din 1992.

Chan Jun Park

Asia Director of Asia Wie Trophy

Founder & Director of the Institute for Wines from Eastern Europe

Wine Travel Awards 2024-2025 Winner

Category “Wine&Food Influencer – Expert Opinion”

Thomas Brandl

Is a trained journalist and PR expert with global networks and 30 years of experience in the wine industry. With his company xenos-comm he helps mainly Southeastern European countries to gain international visibility and reputation.

Jacopo Mazzeo

Jurnalist, fotograf și consultant premiat, specializat în vinuri, băuturi, călătorii și gastronomie. Contribuie în mod regulat la o gamă largă de publicații de specialitate și pentru consumatori, oferă consultanță în tendințe de consum și strategii de marketing și este jurat în competiții internaționale de vin, bere și spirtoase.

Bart Vunderink

My name is Bart Vunderink and I've worked in the wine industry for over 16 years. I'm a wine buyer for a Dutch importer (Berghorst Wijnimport) that supplies the hospitality industry. We import approximately 500 different wines from various European countries.

Thomas Bohl

Danish wine writer with a shadow identity is as academic philosopher. I write for the magazine DinVinGuide and am a regular contributor to other publications in print and online, Danish and international. My own site Flaskevis focusses on traditional European wine culture and issues in organic and biodynamic viticulture. I’ve judged in several national and international wine competitions, including Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Concours National des Crémants, GROW du Monde et.al.

Per Karlsson

Per Karlsson is co-founder of BKWine together with his wife Britt; they are wine journalist, award-winning book authors and wine tour operators. Per is editor and publisher of BKWine Magazine, an online wine magazine and the newsletter the BKWine Brief. The couple started Sweden’s first wine web site in 1996 and now operate bkwine.com, probably Sweden’s biggest wine web site, also available in English and read in more than 100 countries.

LOCAL JURY

Vitalie Ivanov

Specialist principal RVV, ONVV, degustator autorizat.

Arcadie Fosnea

Oenolog, fondator Crama Mirceşti, președinte al Uniunii Micilor Producători de vinuri Dionysos, degustator autorizat.

Inga Manuylenko

Oenolog, tehnolog Kazayak Vin S.A, Presedintele comisiei de degustare interna al Asiciatiei UVV RGD "Valul lui Traian", degustator autorizat.

VASILE LUCA

Director general Radacini Wines S.R.L., degustator autorizat.

Vadim Mihailov

Oenolog, mic producător TE WA Wines S.R.L., degustator autorizat.

Lucia Gherdelescu

Expert în produse vitivinicole și băuturi alcoolice, degustator autorizat.

Constantin Stratan

Oenolog, mic producător Crama Domnească, degustator autorizat.

Ion Luca

Fondator Casa Vinicolă Luca, oenologul anului 2024.

Andrei Cibotaru

Expert în vinuri, sommelier, autorul www.finewine.md,

degustător autorizat.

Lilia Arseni

Oenolog, manager calitate produse vitivinicole, Călărași Divin S.R.L.

Valentin Vranceanu

Oenologist, executive director Chateau Vartely S.R.L.

Svetlana Malanciuc

Director executiv Vinăria Ungheni S.R.L., degustător autorizat.

Daniela Jitaru

Specialist coordonator la Laboratorul Central de Testare a băuturilor alcoolice/nealcoolice şi a produselor conservate, A.S.E., degustator autorizat.

Galina Polzikova

Manager calitate produse vitivinicole, degustator autorizat.

7. AWARDS

Awards will be granted as follows:

GRAND GOLD MEDAL

Minimum 93 points

GOLD MEDAL

89 to 92.99 points

SILVER MEDAL

85 to 88.99 points

The number of medals cannot exceed 30% of the total number of samples admitted to the competition, according to O.I.V. regulations.

8. AWARD CEREMONY

The competition results and diploma awarding will take place during the Winter Vernissage.

The Organizer reserves the right to publish the competition results, including the name and identifying details of the product and producer that obtained distinctions, in any medium (print media, radio, TV, Internet, presentation catalogues, the website of the Wine of Moldova Competition).

9. LEGAL AND CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS

The participant is responsible for all information and data provided in the registration form.

The Presidium may verify the validity of this information, particularly regarding the conformity between the product information and the control sample retained by the Organizers.

All complaints or grievances related to the organization, conduct, execution, or awarding of the competition shall be addressed to the Organizers for amicable resolution. If amicable resolution is not possible, jurisdiction belongs to the courts of Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.

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