Calarasi Divin Divins stood out at the first national competition of wines and distilled grape-based alcoholic beverages Wine of Moldova Contest 2022, which was organized according to the rules of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), where no more than 30% of the participants receive prizes. The 20-year-old Noroc Gold Collection won the highest honor – the Grand Gold Medal, and the divine 12-year-old Calousin Status Regal won the gold medal. These successes were a reason to learn the news about the leading producer in the Moldovan divine industry.
The medal-winning divines were taken from commercial batches
“All the samples we send to participate in the competitions are always taken from commercial batches of products destined for retail and HoReCa deliveries,” emphasized the head of the marketing department Mariana Focșa. “For the Wine of Moldova Contest 2022, the samples were also taken from the warehouse. We don’t have separate barrels of divinities, made especially for competitions and VIP guests. We are honest to our consumers.
The same divin that have won in competitions are on store shelves and served in restaurants. We believe, and for us it is important and principled: consumers should try the winning divinities, not something else, accompanied by promotional campaigns about the prizes. When people find out that Călărași Divin Divin Divin has won medals, many are interested to find out why our production deserved this “Gold Medal”, “Great Gold Medal” or Grand Prix. We offer consumers the opportunity to convince themselves of the honesty of the producer Călărași Divin towards consumers.”
Aurum just got better
On the occasion of the National Wine Day, for the first time on the Călărași Divin stand, the new AURUM series of Divines appeared. This series includes 5-year, 7-year and 10-year matured Divines. This collection was launched on the market a few years ago, but the Călărași Divin company has experienced a rapid development during this time, that is why the decision was made to update the AURUM series products, not only in terms of their appearance, but also in terms of their content.
The distinguishing feature of the new AURUM series is that distillates of an age older than that specified on the labels have been added to each divine. In other words, there is a certain amount of 10-year-old distillate in the blend of the 5-year-old, 12-year-old distillate in the blend of the 7-year-old and 15-year-old distillate in the blend of the 10-year-old. This enriches the bouquet and the taste of the cigars.
“We’ve improved the quality of AURUM Divines thanks to the new blends,” explains production director Ghenadie Bodrug. “We have matured new distillates, which we have produced entirely from grapes grown in our own vineyards in the central part of Moldova. In fact, Călărași Divin was among the first whose vineyards were certified and registered by the National Bureau of Vine and Wine for the production of Divin with protected geographical indication. In other words, our vineyards meet the highest standards. We have enough raw material to produce distillates. We have carefully selected them for maturation, we have nurtured them with care and now we are creating new cuvées for the divin.”
The first sales of the AURUM series after the upgrade also took place at the producer’s stand. Many of its visitors tasted these divinities and bought them immediately. In addition, on the eve of the holiday, a promotion was launched, in which by posting a photo on Facebook at the Călărași Divin stand with the hashtag “#FiiCoolCuNoulAurum”, everyone received a glass of divine or sparkling wine. Many of those who came to the celebration took selfies in front of the AURUM Divines banner and received their prizes, and then urged their friends to participate in the promotion.
AURUM is not the first series of Călărași Divin divins to improve their quality along with updating the design. At the end of 2020, the best-selling series, Legenda, was also improved so that the divins are perceived as older than it says on the packaging. The masters at Călărași Divin have their own secrets in this regard.
The basics of quality
One of the advantages of Călărași Divin is its complete production cycle, fully owned by the company.
If winemakers get better-ripened grapes than they planned, they can use them to produce another type of wine, such as Late Harvest. The production of divin is subject to stricter rules regarding the raw material: the grape harvest for divins must be harvested with a low sugar content and high acidity. To do this quickly (otherwise the sugar content will exceed the limit), about 60% of the 530 hectares of fruitful vines, where nine European varieties are grown, are harvested using agricultural combine harvesters. One was purchased by the company two years ago, and the other is rented. The rest of the bunches are picked by hand.
“Mechanized harvesting does not generally affect the quality of the grapes for the raw materials for divin production,” says Ghenadie Bodrug. “In addition, transporting them to the primary production in the village of Răciula, located near the vineyard, takes between 10 and 30 minutes. We pick grapes with a sugar content between 170 g/dm3 and 200 g/dm3, no more, because to obtain quality distillates we need not only alcohol, but also acidity. But first of all, acidity protects the raw material intended for the production of divins from oxidation. This is very important, because we do not use sulfur dioxide in the production process. By the beginning of distillation, the raw material reaches the appropriate state, while preserving the aroma of the grape varieties.”
There is an expression, “distillates are rocked by the hands of the divin masters”. At Calarasi Divin, this can be perceived with a direct meaning, because the barrels with distillates are frequently relocated, so that the temperature of the room in which they are located is optimal. Initially, the barrels are raised to the third floor of the warehouse, where it is warmer. There, the distillates obtain the amount of basic extract from the barrels. After two to three years, they are lowered to the second floor, where it is cooler, and then – to the first, where the temperature is lower. With the decrease in temperature, the extraction proceeds more slowly, but the maturation is better.
At the age of seven years, the distillates go through the process of égalisage, that is, they are poured out of the barrels and mixed. A new laboratory analysis is carried out, and then the distillates are poured back into the barrels. During this process, the distillates are enriched with oxygen, which allows the oxidation and recovery processes to to be carried out more intensively, ensuring proper development. Thus, the product becomes more homogeneous. At the age of ten, the distillates have already gone through this process twice.
The number 1 brand of divins in Moldova
Recently, the National Office of Vine and Wine requested a marketing research of the Moldovan wine production market, which was carried out by the XPLANE Market Research Agency. According to the survey, the most famous brand of divins / brandy is Călărași Divin. It was mentioned by 90% of respondents. When asked about the brand whose products they had consumed in the last six months, 42% of respondents answered “Călărași Divin” (this is the highest result, with a considerable difference). In principle, the company is not surprised by this, but an official confirmation is always nice.
“We are getting feedback from retail (the modern trade segment, i.e. supermarket chains, hypermarkets), which indicates a very good performance,” reports commercial director Anatoli Belenciuc. “Călărași Divin is the leader in basic sales (when there are no discounts). Retailers are paying attention to the fact that our company is the only divin producer that does not pursue sales in quantity, but sells brands. Our products are more expensive than similar ones on the Moldovan market. Even during promotional campaigns, they remain at a higher price. However, consumer recognition is growing, and we are very proud of this fact. Customer loyalty to Călărași Divin is confirmed by the fact that in the first eight months of 2022, sales increased by 21% in value terms, compared to the same period last year, and the figure for August is the highest in the last five years.”
According to the interlocutor, this was influenced by the complexity of the work performed. In addition to the high and stable quality, which cognac masters are constantly improving, the quality of sales has also improved, primarily through the company’s network of stores. Buyers’ interest in Călărași Divin products was confirmed by the queues at its stand at the Wine Day, which was the last in this segment to close due to the influx of visitors. Probably, not only the love and trust of consumers for the brand, but also the format of Călărași Divin’s festive program played an important role. It included masterclasses, tastings and contests with prizes, among which was a bottle of 7-year-old AURUM Divin.
Currently, the company exports its products to Romania, Germany, China, the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Israel.
“We do not focus on exports and do not chase foreign markets,” continues Anatoli Belenciuc. “The company’s policy is focused on the domestic market. Since distillate stocks are not unlimited, we are more interested in Moldovan consumers. However, we support foreign deliveries primarily to provide our compatriots living abroad with the opportunity to buy Călărași Divin products there. We set strict conditions for importers, as we do not give big discounts, as other companies do, and we work only with advance payment.”
Călărași Divin makes a significant contribution to the prestige of the Moldovan divin industry and appreciates local consumers, trying to warm them up with its divins.