VIDEO // Quick growth of wine industry after Russia's first embargo; expert says Moldova proves it can turn any crisis into opportunity

Moldova has proved that it can turn a crisis situation into an opportunity for development and modernization. Expert Andrei Curararu of WatchDog.MD drew this conclusion .He made a commentary based on a concrete example—the growth of the wine industry following the first embargo imposed by Russian sanitary authorities on March 27, 2006.

In a video commentary, Curararu explained that presently Moldovans understood that economic dependency is a political vulnerability, either in wine or energy.

“In 2006, Russia imposed an embargo on Moldovan wine, causing significant losses to Moldova's wine industry, which relied heavily on the Russian market. This was a response to Moldova's criticism of Russia's presence in Transnistria and its relations with Brussels. The embargo led to a decrease in wine production and severely affected the economy, as well as a political humiliation for Moldova, which had no effective responses. After Russia repeated the blockade in 2013, Moldova learned that economic dependence on a single market is a political vulnerability. It began diversifying its markets and the European Union and other international institutions supported the wine sector,” the expert explained.

Curararu commented on the entire path of development of the wine industry in Moldova since the first embargo on March 27, 2006, and recalled the statement of the head of the Russian sanitary authority, Gennady Onishchenko, who in 2006 said that the Moldovan wine was good only for painting fences.

“What two decades of political support could not achieve, the imperial cynicism achieved in two waves of embargoes—it forced Moldova to modernize and turn a vulnerability into a competitive advantage. The wine that Onishchenko publicly disregarded is now awarded in London. We made this leap and can repeat it. Moldovan winemakers have shown, through their love for work, that arrogance, humiliation and blackmail cannot stop them,” the expert concluded.

Following international support and significant investments, Moldovan wine exports to the European Union have grown substantially, while exports to Russia dropped dramatically in 2022.

Moldovan wines won over 500 international medals during 2014-2022. Native varieties have become appreciated on international markets and Moldova has become a global player on the wine market.

“Russia continued the same game. Silent pressures, blacklists, suspension of import licenses, administrative obstructions, but the effect weakened. In 2025, the wine industry of Moldova is stable, diversified and mature. It exports to over 75 countries without asking anyone's permission. (...) Moldovan wine is not just an export product; it is proof that some industries survive precisely because they moved forward with their heads held high and dignity when they were cornered, and that some insults can have a very bitter taste but the end remains sparkling and European,” said Andrei Curararu.

Presently, the European Union is the main market for Moldovan wines. Wines produced in Moldova reach Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, China and other countries.

“Meanwhile, we, the Moldovans, have come to understand that economic dependency is a political vulnerability, either in wine or energy. The response does not come through diplomacy or pleas to the Russians, but through strategic reconfiguration of markets,” Curararu added.

At present, there are over 143 wine-exporting companies in Moldova.