Moldova knows its wine: vineyards stretch across almost the whole country, and a bottle on the table at a feast or a Sunday lunch is normal for many families. This article is for adults and is about choosing wine for the table, not about how much to drink. Drink in moderation and never drive afterwards.

Dry, off-dry, semi-sweet

The first thing printed on the label is the level of sweetness. The whole taste depends on it.

Dry wine has almost no residual sugar. It is fresh and a little tart, and suits meat, fish, cheese and starters.

Off-dry is a little softer than dry: the sugar is barely noticeable, and the taste is rounder.

Semi-sweet wine is clearly sweet, soft and not tannic. Many people like it, especially with fruit, light desserts and pies. In Moldova semi-sweet red and white wines are very popular.

Sweet and dessert wines are served with dessert or on their own, in small amounts.

If you do not know what to choose, start with off-dry. It suits both people who dislike tartness and those who find sweet wine too sweet.

Red, white, rosé

Red wine is macerated with the grape skins, so it is darker, more tannic and fuller. With meat, grilled meat, mici and tochitură, red fits best.

White is made from pale grapes or from juice without the skins. It is fresher, lighter and more acidic. With fish, poultry, vegetables, cheese and cheese plăcinte, take white.

Rosé comes from a short contact of the juice with the skins. It is light, fresh and versatile, good in the heat and with light starters.

Colour does not decide sweetness: there is dry and semi-sweet red, and dry and semi-sweet white.

Grape varieties

The label often names the variety, or several. You do not need to know them all, but a few names are worth remembering.

Among local Moldovan varieties the best known are Fetească albă and Fetească regală for white wines, Fetească neagră and Rară neagră for red. Of the international ones, Moldova grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Riesling.

If the label has a single variety, the wine will be typical of it. If it says "blend" or lists several varieties, it is a mix, and the taste depends on the proportions.

How to read the label

Look at a few things. First: colour and sweetness. Second: the variety or blend. Third: the harvest year, if given. Fourth: the region and the producer. Fifth: the strength, printed as a number with the word "alcohol". Remember that wine, like any alcohol, is not for children.

If the label names a region or a protected designation of origin, it means the grapes were grown in that place. The known wine regions of Moldova are Codru, Ștefan Vodă and Valul lui Traian.

Do not be swayed by shiny packaging and big words like "premium" and "collectors'". They speak of marketing, not of taste.

Here is what the catalogues have on wine right now:

In the catalogues now: wine

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How to match wine to a dish

A simple rule: light wine with light food, full wine with hearty food. Dry red goes with grilled meat and braised dishes. Dry white goes with fish, chicken, vegetables and soft cheeses. Semi-sweet goes with spicy dishes, fruit and baking.

With salty brânză and plăcinte a fresh white will do. With a hearty mămăligă with meat take red.

Do not serve wine with very hot dishes: the heat drowns the taste.

How to serve

Temperature matters as much as the variety. Chill white and rosé to ten to twelve degrees: two hours in the fridge or twenty minutes in a bucket of ice. Serve light red cool, around fourteen to sixteen degrees, full red around sixteen to eighteen.

Red wine does not need to be warmed. "Room temperature" once meant a cool room, and in a warm flat it is worth putting the bottle in the fridge for half an hour.

Pour into clean glasses, not to the top: fill about a third, so that the aroma can be felt.

How to store

Keep bottles with a cork on their side in a dark, cool place. Keep them away from the stove, the window and the radiator: heat and light spoil wine.

Close opened wine and put it in the fridge. White and rosé are best finished within two or three days, and red should not be kept long either.

If the wine smells of vinegar, wet cardboard or cork, it has gone bad, so do not drink it.

Buying for the home

Compare not only the price but the size of the bottle. Most often it is seventy-five centilitres, but there are others.

A good option for a festive table: look ahead to see who has a promotion now and take several bottles of different styles. You can compare stores here:

Where it is cheaper: wine

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Remember that selling and buying alcohol is for adults only. Drink sensibly.