VIDEO National Wine Day 2025// Best homemade wine producers awarded in Golden Barrel competition

On the second day of the national wine celebration, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Republic of Moldova organized award ceremony for the winners of the 'Golden Barrel' homemade wine competition.

This year, over 450 homemade wines from more than 20 districts of the country competed for the 'Golden Barrel 2024' award, with 84 wines reaching the national stage of the competition. Prizes were awarded in various categories, including wine from grape varieties for wine, Vitis Vinifera species, harvest year 2024; wine from hybrid varieties and Vitis Labrusca; wine matured in oak contact (over 6 months), liqueur wines etc.


'This year, we received a quite large number of homemade wine samples from all regions of the country. We are pleased that this tradition is not being lost; moreover, producers manage to surprise us with high-quality and competitive wines. And since good wines are a value of the Republic of Moldova,' Sergiu Harea, director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.


National Vine and Wine Office head Ștefan Iamandi highlighted that at present, there are over two hundred wineries and more than 55 thousand winegrowers registered in Moldova.


'It is an enormous number of winegrowers who have dedicated their effort and passion over the years to producing homemade wine. The Republic of Moldova has been designated as the most awarded Eastern European country in terms of wines, and a good part of those who have been awarded the 'Golden Barrel' over the years are the ones who receive international prizes later on,' mentioned Ștefan Iamandi.


The 'Golden Barrel' competition has been organized since 2002 to highlight the best homemade wine producers, promote the culture of consumption, and exchange best practices related to vitiviniculture activities. Over the previous editions of the competition, more than ten thousand wine samples have been presented, of which over two hundred became winners and are currently on the shelves of stores in the country and even internationally.


'Over the years, dozens of homemade wine producers have been declared winners, many of whom have become small and medium enterprises, small wine producers, and can now be found with their products on the local and even international markets. Experts have found that homemade wine is, year by year, approaching the quality of industrial wine or might even exceed it,' Harea said.


Several experts in the field confirm that Moldova has an enormous potential yet to be explored and appreciated at its true value in terms of homemade wine. We are talking about small wine producers who need to have a winery, a small restaurant, and all combined—quality wines, gastronomy, and hospitality—can yield extraordinary results. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry is developing support programs in agrotourism development, where viticulture tourism is a component. Therefore, homemade wine producers are expected to join the group of authorized wine producers, to later invest in businesses and develop.



The second day of the National Wine Celebration 2025 brings to the center of Chișinău an authentic festive atmosphere, dedicated to traditions, folklore, and passion for Moldovan wine. 

The National Wine Day, at its XXVI edition, continues to celebrate national identity and pride through wine—a symbol of a Moldova that grows, modernizes, and asserts its place among the great vitiviniculture cultures of Europe.