Château Purcari, located in Moldova’s southern reaches, is an artful fusion of the east and west. There is nowhere else in the world where you can find Cabernet Sauvignon blended with the ancient Georgian Saperavi grape in such an effective and delicious way.
In this article, we’ll explore the ins and outs of Moldova’s finest winery, and the mysterious background of wine-making in the country itself - which remains relatively unknown, even to the brainiest wine connoisseurs.
1827 to Now: A History of Château Purcari
- Where is Purcari wine from?
Purcari wine is from Moldova, and more specifically, the region of Purcari. The region runs alongside the Dniester River, which forms the border between Moldova and its neighbour, Ukraine. It’s a sub-section of the Ștefan Vodă region, lying just 60km from the Black Sea, and sitting at an elevation of 120-160 metres above sea level.
Château Purcari does not account for all of the wine made in the Ștefan Vodă region, but this ancient cellar is, without a doubt, one of the most important wineries in the region and Moldova as a whole. Purcari’s story in this historic landscape officially began in 1827, when Nicolas I of Russia granted the cellar the title of the first specialised winery in Bessarabia. Bessarabia was essentially a predecessor to Moldova, under the control of Imperial Russia.
Royal recognition is a trend for Château Purcari - purple is the colour of royalty after all, and Château Purcari makes some truly sumptuous, purple-tinged wines. Since those early days, the winery has become an official supplier for the Romanian Royal House, as well as one of the personal favourites of the late British monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Negru de Purcari even became known as the “Queen of England’s Wine” in Moldova, as she regularly ordered the 1990 vintage.
Throughout the winery’s history, the Negru de Purcari blend has always been something of an ambassador. Château Purcari broke onto the world stage when the blend won gold at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1878 - the same year that the Statue of Liberty's head was first revealed to the world.
- Who owns Purcari?
Today, Victor Bostan is the CEO and has been since the inception of Purcari Wineries Group in 2002. With over 35 years of experience in the wine industry, Victor has led Château Purcari into the modern era, and along with Vasile Tofan (the Chairman of the Supervisory Board), has been instrumental in creating the biggest and most prestigious winery in Central and Eastern Europe.
While becoming the biggest wine exporter in Moldova, Château Purcari has also spread its business into neighbouring countries. The group owns 30% of the premium wine sector in Romania, and now operates 5 wine and brandy production platforms in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria. One thing is certain - Château Purcari is continuing to grow and shows no signs of stopping.
Château Purcari: The Most Awarded Winery in the World
For many, Moldova is an unknown entity on the world wine scene. This has led to countless people encountering Château Purcari in their local stores, before heading to Google and posing the obvious question:
Is Moldovan wine good?
In short, Moldovan wine is very good. Château Purcari is the most awarded winery in the world (as of 2021), with 333 gold and silver medals won at the most prestigious wine competitions and an entire range that is consistently rated 90+ by critics.
Like any great piece of work, Purcari’s success does not just come from top ratings from critics, but the general public too. Through Vivino, the great aggregator of reviewers amateur and professional, Château Purcari has received a rating of 4.1 out of 5 across their 53 wines.
Royal Purple: Château Purcari’s Iconic Wines
A stand-out character in the tale of Purcari’s success is the Negru de Purcari, the winery’s flagship blend. Composed of the French grape Cabernet Sauvignon, the Georgian Saperavi, and the native Moldovan Rară Neagră, this blend was included in Decanter’s 2021 list of the top 100 Classic Wines. Negru de Purcari never disappoints and has been a mainstay of the winery since its inception.
Paying homage to the past and maintaining strong values over time is an important part of Château Purcari’s identity. In more recent times, their Freedom Blend has risen to the fore. Originally created in 2014 (coinciding with the Russian invasion of Crimea), Freedom Blend has become a symbol of the wine world’s stance against Russian aggression, not only in Ukraine but Moldova and Georgia too. All profits from its sales are donated to support Ukrainian refugees.
It is composed of 3 grapes originating from former Soviet republics. Saperavi represents Georgia, Rară Neagră is a native grape from Moldova, and Bastardo Magarachsky (the result of crossing Trousseau and Saperavi) represents Ukraine.
Rounding out Château Purcari’s iconic range is the exquisitely crafted Academia line, a premium, in-depth exploration of the Moldovan wine identity. The grapes used for the Academia line are harvested by moonlight to ensure their freshness and fermented in carefully curated Italian clay amphorae. The range includes single-varietal wines made from relatively unknown Moldovan grapes, such as Fetească Neagră, Rară Neagră and Viorica. To maintain the highest quality possible, these wines are also made in limited amounts. Grab one of the 3250 bottles of Viorica Orange while you can!
- What makes Purcari wine so special?
While Château Purcari utilises a lot of native Moldovan grapes, and those originating from further east such as Saperavi and Bastardo Magarachsky, the grapes are not the only factor that set their wines apart. Of course, their production methods are impeccable, and they use state-of-the-art technology to achieve the highest standards possible. Beyond that, however, a lot of it has to do with the Moldovan terroir.
Wine-making began in earnest in Stefan Vodă district in the 18th century, thanks to a collaboration between groups of French settlers and monks - both of whom recognised the special quality of the soil. For the monks, it was the perfect environment for growing grapes for holy wine, and for the French, it was eerily similar to the terroir of Bordeaux. Purcari is approximately the same altitude as the French region, and the soil of both regions is rich in rubidium - a chemical that imparts a royal purple colour to wine in Bordeaux and Purcari.
Our Top 5 Bottles From Château Purcari
Here at 8wines, we’re long-time fans of Château Purcari and offer a range of wines on our website. Now, we’re going to take a deeper look at their range, single out some individual wines, and explain why they’re of such incredible value.
1: Château Purcari Freedom Blend
The first thing we would recommend is the Château Purcari Freedom Blend. It’s a delicious, food-friendly wine and a fantastic way to get familiar with some grapes from Eastern Europe.
Regarded extremely highly by Jancis Robinson (who named it the UK Wine of the Week), this blend is a vividly dark red. It’s alive with notes of sweet blackberry, cherry and blackcurrant, along with classic earthy notes and juicy red pepper. You may also find subtle hints of chocolate and pomegranate, obtained from the Bastardo and Rară Neagră respectively.
2: Château Purcari Negru de Purcari
Drink like the Queen of England, at an affordable price. Negru de Purcari is the same blend that put Château Purcari on the map, with a gold medal at the 1878 Paris World Fair. It’s a majority Cabernet Sauvignon wine, with portions of Saperavi and Rară Neagră.
Part of this wine’s allure is its stunning red colour, with hints of dark purple. Easily mistakable for a French red, it’s bursting with red and black fruits, an oaky tannic structure, and subtle spices. This is a sophisticated, robust red wine, for those who take their palates seriously.
3: Château Purcari Rara Neagra de Purcari
Part of what makes Château Purcari’s wines distinctive and “unusual” is the utilisation of portions of Rară Neagră, a Moldovan grape that is used in their most famous blends. Rara Neagră de Purcari is a single-varietal expression of this grape, which will allow you to get well acquainted with the winery’s secret ingredient.
Rara Neagră is an undeniably powerful wine, with a backbone of spice and oak obtained from 6 months of barrel ageing before release. Look for notes of pomegranate, sour cherry and chamomile - just some of the fascinating flavours that make this wine so special.
4: Château Purcari Academia Viorica
The Academia line is where you can begin to see Château Purcari’s diversity, and their orange Viorica wine is a fabulous example of that. The colour is obtained through extended skin contact with the Viorica grapes, making this slightly more tannic than white wine, but still extremely easy to drink.
It’s delightfully fruity from the very beginning, with a bouquet of stone fruits and flower petals. On the palate, there is a rich concentration of fruits coupled with a refreshing, wiry acidity and a relatively light body. Look for hints of honey, reflecting the beautiful golden colour, on the slightly sweet finish.
5: Château Purcari Academia Saperavi
Finally, we wholeheartedly recommend Château Purcari’s take on a single-varietal Saperavi wine. The Academia Saperavi is a serious, brooding red. It has an inky colour, deep red with hues of that remarkable rubidium purple.
This wine shows remarkable finesse, that could easily place it in some of the finest terroirs of France. It’s packed with black fruit - plum, prune and blackberry, along with subtle notes of chocolate and liquorice. With its full body and prominent, silky tannins, this is a wine for pairing with steak, or for savouring alone.
Tasting Cases
You can create your own cases on the 8wines website, but when it comes to Château Purcari, we’ve already done a lot of the work for you. Our Purcari tasting cases essentially come in three tiers. Tier 1 is an introduction to Moldovan wine - an affordable exploration of the country’s native grapes, along with a couple of Purcari classics.
Tier 2 is a selection of Gold Medal-winning wines from Château Purcari, including several from the Academia line and a limited edition Negru de Purcari.
Finally, Tier 3 is a pick of the very best the winery has to offer, including their delicious Brut sparkling wine, and a selection of brooding Academia line reds.
Whether you're a wine connoisseur looking to fill up your cellar or just looking to try something new, Château Purcari is worth a visit. The combination of history, tradition, and quality makes it a must-try for anyone looking to sample some of Moldova’s best wines. To explore their full range, the Château Purcari website or our own are both great places to start.
Good selection of wines and prompt delivery