Country leaders dance together on Wine Day

President Nicolae Timofti, Speaker Marian Lupu and Prime Minister Vlad Filat joined in a hora on Saturday, October 6, at the opening ceremony of the 11th edition of the National Wine Day, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Prime Minister greeted the winemakers and thanked them for their work in making and promoting wine, Moldova’s most competitive agricultural product on the international market. This year, Vlad Filat handed the Grand Prix of Winemaking to the Purcari Company. President Nicolae Timofti even awarded the Order of the Republic to the company. Purcari has been producing Moldovan wine for 185 years. Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov thanked the vine growers and the winemakers who produced high quality grapes and wines regardless of the frost or drought. “This is a strategic sector for the country. Over 200,000 Moldovans are employed in this field. It accounts for a quarter of the agricultural exports of the country. This year, after a terrible drought, this sector suffered the least damage and we’ll have the best wines in the world”, promised the Minister. During the two days of holiday, October 6 and 7, several contests will take place. Visitors will get the chance to taste wines exhibited for the first time on this occasion. A premiere is the participation of two companies from the left side of the Nistru. Overall, 50 producers of wine, grapes and other agricultural goods exhibited their production. This year’s edition of the Wine Day will cost 1 million lei. The government will cover 200,000 lei and the rest of the money will be gathered from sponsors and winemaking companies.