Moldova Restaurant: Their First Wine Dinner

"Wine costs about 400 Moldovan roubles a bottle in Kishinev shops. Moldovans drink it the way Russians drink vodka, downing an average-sized glass in a single gulp."
--The Age (Australian newspaper), August 31, 1993

The Republic of Moldova has been producing wine for about 5,000 years and currently exports about 67 million bottles annually. In Massachusetts, we are fortunate to have access to some of their wines through Vins Distributors, a local importer and distributor of Moldovan wines. In addition, we can experience Moldovan cuisine, paired with their wines, at the compelling Moldova Restaurant in Newton. And now, the Moldova Restaurant has started holding special Wine Dinner events, and I attended their first wine dinner as a media guest.

For some background on Moldovan wine and the Moldova restaurant, please check out my prior articles, Exploring Moldova Restaurant & Moldovan Wine: Part 1 and Part 2. Since those articles were written, the restaurant has expanded, roughly doubling in size, and adding a small bar. It still retains its homey vibe, and it's great that they have more seating so customers won't have to wait so long to get a seat on a busy evening.

About 12 people attended their first wine dinner last month, a fun group of diverse people including someone from Croatia and another person from the country of Georgia. We had plenty of laughs, excellent conversation, and enjoyed plenty of tasty food and wine. Artur Andronic (pictured above on the right), owns the restaurant with his wife Sandra, and both are natives of Moldova. Artur, who is very personable, introduced the wine dinner, helping to serve the dishes throughout the meal, and answering questions.

Andrei Birsan (on the left side), is the owner of Vins Distributors, and he presided over the dinner, explaining about the various dishes and wines, as well as expounding upon the country of Moldova and its wine industry. Andrei is charming and knowledgeable, regaling us with plenty of tales of Moldova, such as its world record wine tunnels. The guests were inquisitive, asking plenty of questions, which Andrei eagerly answered, sharing his passion for Moldovan wine.

"Noroc" is a Moldovan word which basically means "cheers," and is used when toasting with wine. This sign hangs inside the restaurant, over one of their doors.

The food menu, prepared by Chef Victor Sorici, was a selection of some of the restaurant's classic Moldovan dishes. I've enjoyed most of these dishes before, so I'll repeat some of my same, relevant comments from my prior articles. Future wine dinners will offer different menus, other enticing dishes to keep things fresh and new. I'd also recommend that don't need to wait for their next wine dinner to dine at the Moldova restaurant. You can go at any time, for lunch or dinner, and order from their intriguing menu. They'll help you with Moldovan wine pairings.

We began the evening with a traditional PLĂCINTĂ CU BRÎNZĂ ȘI VERDEAȚĂ,  a thin, pan-fried pie filled with cow cheese and herbs, which was served family style. The term "plăcinte" derives from the Latin "placenta," which means "cake." Traditionally, they use sheep's milk cheese but that is difficult for them to source locally so they chose to go with cow's cheese instead. The filling is made with egg whites, local feta, cottage cheese, dill and parsley, but they don't add any salt. The pie is thin, flaky and crisp, reminding me a little of a scallion pancake (without the scallions), and the cheese filling is creamy and lightly salty.

On their menu, there are other variations of PLĂCINTĂ, savory versions with cabbage or potatoes and sweet versions with cherries or apples.

This dish was paired with the Cricova Crisecco Vin Spumant Alb Brut, produced by a winery which was founded in 1952. The winery is located in the town of the same name and their extensive (miles upon miles) wine cellars are the second largest in Moldova. This Sparkling Wine is a blend of 90% Fetească Albă (an indigenous grape) and 10% Muscat, and is produced by the Charmat method (like most Italian Prosecco). Fetească Albă (which translates as "white maiden") is a white grape, the most widely planted indigenous grape in Moldova.

At 12.5% ABV, this bubbly is aromatic, with a distinctive Muscat nose enhanced by some citrus notes. On the palate, it is dry, crisp and tasty, with flavors of apple, pear and subtle citrus. A very pleasant and easy-drinking Sparkling Wine, priced at about $11.99, making it an excellent value.

Next up was a Rucola Salad, with chunks of beet and pumpkin. A pleasant salad, bringing some crisp freshness after the crunchy and creamy first course.

Our second wine of the evening was the 2018 Gogu Winery Blanc de Merlot ($14.99), produced by a very small winery which started selling their wine in 2014, though the family has been making wine for four generations. This is a wine white, made from Merlot, and it is aromatic, with a fresh and tasty palate of citrus, herbal accents, and a floral element. Easy drinking and food friendly, this is something different for your table.

The third course was the SARMALE, cabbage and grape leaves, stuffed with rice, chicken, tomatoes, carrots, fried onions and herbs, and served with a side of sour cream. The rice plays the prominent role in this dish, and with the chicken it is a very traditional and inexpensive Moldovan dish, especially prepared by the women in the household, and always served at Moldovan parties. These were delicious, with a slight crunch to the grape leaves, and less crunch from the cabbage, and plenty of flavorful filling, with lots of rice and finely chopped chicken and veggies. They make for a tasty snack.

The 2016 Fautor Merlot-Rara Neagra ($12.99) is produced by a winery which was purchased in 1997, though their first commercial release wasn't until 2010. A mother & daughter team run the winery, and they have an intriguing deal with a local prison, providing work release opportunities for prisoners. This wine is a blend of Merlot and Rara Neagra (an indigenous grape grown only about 200 acres around the world), made in a more international style. It is fresh and fruit forward, with plenty of red fruit flavors, especially cherry, and spice notes. It is smooth and easy drinking, a wine that would go well with pizza to burgers.

The final savory course was the FRIPTURĂ DE MIEL ($24.95), roasted lamb, stewed in special wine and rosemary sauce, which was served with polenta, feta cheese and sour cream. The lamb is cooked for over four hours, braised and then roasted in the oven. All that slow cooking has made the lamb extremely tender, and you certainly don't need to knife to cut it. Your fork will suffice. The lamb also is superb, with a hint of rosemary, and plenty of juicy, tender meat, lacking that gaminess which turns off some people to lamb. As a lamb lover, this dish impressed me immensely and I highly recommend it.

I loved the label of the 2015 Gitana Winery Lupi Reserve ($27.99), with its wolf paw print, as "Lupi" means "wolf," and it's named after a pack of wolves that wander through the vineyard. The small, family owned and operated winery was purchased in 1999 and it took a number of years to renovate the property and plant vineyards. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Saperavi, which was aged for two years in big, used oak barrels and then for another year in new barrique. This is a complex and delicious wine, with plenty of rich, black fruit flavors, mild spices, some vanilla notes, and hints of chocolate. It is full bodied and powerful, yet with well-integrated tannins, and paired beautifully with the lamb. This was my favorite wine of the evening.

For dessert, we enjoyed the CUȘMA LUI GUGUȚĂ ($9.45), sour cherries crepes with home-made whipped cream and chocolate. This is an extremely popular item on their menu, and they have even run out some nights when many customers ordered it. It was certainly a hedonistic pleasure, plenty of creaminess, tart sour cherries, and that spongy texture of the crepes, with a chocolate accent. It's easy to understand the popularity of this dessert and it was a great way to end a compelling Moldovan dinner.

Our final drink was the 2009 Cricova Patriarh, a vin rosu licoros, a red dessert wine that is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and has a 16% ABV. I was expecting a heavy, sweet wine but that was far from the case. Instead, it had a lighter body, with intense ripe plum and fig flavors and only a moderate sweetness, balanced by some nice acidity. It was silky and delicious, an enticing wine which made for an excellent after-dinner drink.

A representative of Marty's Liquor Store also attended the dinner, and all of the wines were available for pre-order, at am approximate 20% discount. Not only could you enjoy the wines at the restaurant, but you could buy some to enjoy at home, at a nice discount.

The Moldova Restaurant is a unique destination, offering a cuisine not readily available elsewhere in Massachusetts. Plus, you can check out a number of delicious and diverse Moldovan wines. You definitely should attend one of their wine dinners in 2020, so keep an eye on their website or social media to learn about the next event. For now, you also might want to consider attending their New Year Eve Dinner.