A group of experts from an association of Germany, which promotes sustainability standards in the vine-growing and wine-making sectors, has visited Moldova, in order to help Moldovan wine-makers become sustainable according to the European standards. The experts estimate that more companies from the vine-growing and wine-making industry of Moldova might get certificates, which confirm the implementation of the sustainability standards till the end of 2024.
For more than a year, within the Sustainable Wine of Moldova initiative of the National Vine and Wine Office (ONVV), backed by USAID, the wineries of Moldova have been benefiting from assistance in the implementation of the sustainability standards and more producers of small, medium and big wines were subjected to an audit of sustainability, in line with 150 criteria of the Wines’ Sustainability Code.
Following a comprehensive audit, made by an experts’ team of the Fair’N Green German Association in the summer of 2022, the wines of Moldova benefited from recommendations on the steps due to be undertaken to get the sustainability certificates. The Fair’N Green certification process consists of five steps, which include the examination of the minimal requirements, collection and assessment of data, followed by the Environmental Impact Report, the status quo analysis, the visit on the spot, followed by the Sustainability Report and the control by the thirds.
According to an expert from Fair’N Green Florian Reinert, the wineries made progress in order to become more sustainable, as compared to the situation last year.
“When it comes to the production of grapes in Moldova, there is much room for improvement. For instance, the promotion of the biodiversity, spread in southern Germany, is not quite recorded at the wineries from Moldova, which we analyzed. On the other hand, the Moldovan wine cellars are more advanced in the implementation of the good practices of plants’ protection, subjecting the grapes to stress less,” the expert said.
The Fair’N Green association says that the full transition to the sustainable production lasts up to 3 years at most.
“We discussed with wine-makers the next steps of implementation of the criteria of sustainability for getting the certificate and there is the chance for some companies to be certificated till the end of the 2024 year,” Florian Reinert noted.
According to ONVV, the overall volume of Moldovan wines’ exports decreased by 14% in 2022 and the value of export – by 9%, against the 2021 year. Taking into account the regional crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, the dependence on the traditional markets, droughts, the high level of migration in the rural regions, the wine producers from Moldova are more resolute now to become sustainable, in order to turn to good account the export of export to new markets. According to The Global Sustainability Study 2022, 71% of the global consumers make changes in their lifestyle and in the products they buy, in an effort to live more sustainably. Therefore, the companies should take these ideas as basis for their strategies of entrance on a new market. (Moldpres/Business World Magazine)