The warm south-eastern slopes of Purcari are favorable to the cultivation of the following quality grape varieties:
Whites—Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Reds—Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Saperavi, and Rara Neagra.
Vinaria Purcari owns 200 hectares of vineyards. While during the Soviet period vineyards were planted without any system, today the plantations are well tended, pedantically broken into squares, with ideal, neat vine rows. The grapes are planted strictly by varieties and clones. The clones naturally improve a given variety and render unique the qualities of the grapes by influencing their flavor, sugar content, etc. The process of ripening is supervised by the company’s specialists. Grape picking, transportation and processing are done under the constant supervision of highly qualified viticulture and wine specialists, who have managed to put together a seamless, top-of-the-line team whose aim is to constantly improve the quality of their output.

The Vineyards

Planting new vineyards
Vinaria Purcari has planted new vineyards in the unique Purcari microregion. These vineyards, not yet fructiferous, cover an area of 200 ha. The high-quality saplings have been selected so as to yield quality Purcari wines. Leading French clones have been planted —Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Pinot Noir—along with saplings of the Moldovan variety Rara Neagra, which is used in the production of our most famous wine, Negru de Purcari.

Pruning and directing the growth of the vine
The vine is the foundation of the excellent quality offered by Purcari wines. The winegrowers work with utmost care. Hand pruning, directing the growth of the vine—these are techniques whose aim is to give the grapes the best exposure to the sun and improve air circulation. Each vine in the Purcari vineyards is designed to have an exact proportion of leaves and grapes and only an optimal number of grape bunches are allowed to grow on the vine. This influences yield, which is always an important indicator of the grape quality.

Vineyard quality control
When the grapes are ripening, the winegrowers collect grape samples at least twice every week, in order to test their maturity. This process is initiated two or three weeks before the tentative harvest day. Grape samples are collected from different parts of the bush. When the grapes are found in full maturity, the harvest starts, followed by grape processing and making of the wine itself.

Harvest
The grapes for white wines are usually harvested in September, as the sugar content at this time approaches 190-220 g/dm3, which yields wines of 11-13% alcohol content. The red grape varieties are harvested in late September and early October, when sugar content reaches a concentration of 200-240 g/dm3. At this sugar content the grapes have a wonderful color and taste, and have a pleasant natural acidity. The red Purcari wines’ alcohol content usually reaches 12-14%.