Сompania Călărași Divin, a leader in the field – has launched for the first time on the Moldovan market 5-year-old Divins with PGI Divin status. These are Călărași Legenda VSOP, Orfeu VSOP, Aurum VSOP and Special Collection VSOP. Earlier, in October 2022, Călărași Divin became the first enterprise, which started to produce Divin IGP Divin branded Divins (3-year Divins – (Călărași Legenda VS and Orfeu VS), thus opening a new chapter in the history of the domestic Divin Divin industry.
As a reminder, in August 2022, the State Agency for Intellectual Property (AGEPI) issued the company Călărași Divin a certificate for the right to use the Divin PGI. So far, this certificate is the only one in the Republic of Moldova.
“We’ve been working for 12 years to fulfill all the requirements of the specifications for the production of Divin Protected Geographical Indication drinks, so that our Divin Divin can receive the status of Divin PGI,” says Divin Divin owner Ildar Halitov. “And they became the first in Moldova. Our path to IGP started by cultivating our own vineyards. Călărași Divin has its own vineyards of 530 ha located in the central part of Moldova. This micro-area of the Călărași region is an ideal place in terms of climate and soil composition for growing European white grape varieties. We have a careful attitude towards their cultivation. All work on the plantations is carried out exclusively according to PGI standards. As a result, we manage to obtain a harvest of grapes of very good quality from which we produce dry white wine – the raw material for distillation.
Due to the fact that in Moldova, in the area of the ancient Codirs where our plantations are located, there are ideal conditions for growing white grape varieties, our colleagues, including those from the most prominent wineries, come to us every year with the request to sell at least a few tons of our grapes. Sometimes we help them with a small quantity to produce high quality wines. But, nevertheless, the main harvest of our grapes, cultivated with great care and love, we use for our own production, which is one of the highest quality aspects of the Divine Calatravian Divin.
Our vision for the production of Divins is in line with the requirements of the Specification, which regulates the production of Divins with PGI Divin status according to the classic recipe. It is in our interest that the industry continues to develop in line with these requirements. Therefore, we not only comply with them but also welcome the rigorous control at all stages of our production, which is necessary for the compliance of production with the PGI Divin status,” said Ildar Halitov.
As a result, the distillates made from grape wine are matured according to the classical technology – i.e. in oak barrels. In Călărași Divin warehouses there are more than 6000 barrels of different types of oak from different countries. During the maturation process, they give the distillates various aromatic and taste nuances typical of the complex process of maturation in oak barrels. The distillates from these barrels are used to create the different series of cigars. This is why the different age but different lines of divin are different organoleptically (aroma, taste, typicality).
All the processes – maturing the distillates, blending them, resting and bottling – also have to comply with the specifications, which is quite complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive. For example, the bottling of one of their divin can take several days, then the samples are sent for certification. This is in the case of simple divin. And when bottling Divins with PGI Divin status, the control of each step is so rigorous that samples of the batch need to be sent out daily for analysis and certification.
“However, we are satisfied with such control and we will support the maintenance of all existing requirements so that the divin is perceived as a high-quality product, especially with the PGI Divin status,” says Production Director Ghenadie Bodrug. “In the future, all Divins in Moldova must meet this level of quality. And consumers in any country, seeing the inscription ‘Divin’ on the label, must be sure that it is produced in Moldova, exclusively from grapes harvested in the wine-growing area of the Republic of Moldova
We are talking about this because in recent years there have been proposals to simplify the requirements of the specifications for the production of products with PGI Divin status, which all producers must comply with. In our opinion, this will lead, if not to abuse, then to a decrease in control and, consequently, to a deterioration in the quality of Divin. The image of the whole product category and consumer attitudes towards it will suffer.
This is unacceptable because divin is the face of Moldovan production. At present, the PGI Divin label informs consumers that the state guarantees the high quality and traceability of production from the vineyards to the bottle with the finished product. We are pleased that the National Office of Vine and Wine also insists on the unacceptability of relaxing strict control at all stages of divin production and opposes initiatives to simplify the requirements of the specifications”.
It is worth noting that PGI Divin Divin PGIs are also subject to organoleptic evaluation by a special tasting commission set up by the ONVV to test PGI products. The PGI label on the bottle therefore assures consumers that the State has carefully checked the quality of this product.
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The company, which now bears the name Călărași Divin, was established in 1896 and is the oldest in the Moldovan divin industry. The oldest distillates, stored in the factory cellars, date back to 1967. Nine European grape varieties are grown on its own plantations. The company provides a complete production cycle, including grape processing (the primary plant is located next to the vineyards), distillation and maturation at a factory in Călărași. According to a survey conducted by XPLANE Market Research Agency, the most popular brand of divin/brandy in Moldova is Călărași Divin, and the products of this brand enjoy the highest consumption.