The wines of Vinum Estate

Vinum Estate is a small family winery from Moldova: a young brand with roots going back more than two centuries. Vinum Estate is owned by the Uzhakov family, who have been growing grapes for nine generations and making wine for more than a hundred years. The family works in small batches with indigenous Moldovan grapes such as Fetească Regală, Fetească Neagră and Rară Neagră, complemented by international varieties.

Check out our 4 wines made by Vinum Estate

The family's 'wine history' begins in 1806, when the ancestors of the current owners moved from north-eastern Bulgaria to southern Bessarabia, the area that now largely belongs to Moldova. Like many other Bulgarian settlers at the time, they fled the Ottoman Empire and sought a new life on this fertile steppe. In 1832 Gancho Todorov Uzhakov planted a vineyard in the village of Taraclia, which still has a large Bulgarian community. A year later the family built a wine cellar there.

In the Soviet era, winegrowing was collectivised. In 1944 the state winery Țiganca was founded nearby, where six members of the Uzhakov family worked over the years. In 1979 Stepanida Uzhakova was named the company's 'best pruner'. She received a medal and a "golden" pair of pruning shears.

Much has changed since then. The family makes its own wine again. The current generation is represented by Vladlen Uzhakov, who started in the wine sector in 1996, as a consultant and building wine cellars. In 2015 he revived the family winery under the name Vinum Estate and released its first wines. In 2016 the family planted a new vineyard in the village of Sociteni, and in the years that followed the range grew to include sparkling wines and a top selection of its own. In 2022 Vinum exported to nine countries.

Vinum grows grapes on a total of 4.5 hectares, spread over two of Moldova's four wine regions with a protected geographical indication. The vineyard near Sociteni lies in the Codru wine region, in the centre of the country. The vineyard near Taraclia, at the family's original home, lies in the southern Valul lui Traian region.

The estate's own vineyards are planted with the indigenous Fetească Regală and Fetească Neagră alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Vinum also buys carefully selected grapes from fellow growers: Saperavi, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Rară Neagră, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling.

The grapes are picked by hand. In the cellar the family combines Moldovan traditions with modern Italian equipment. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures, with yeasts selected for each grape variety. The wines mature in French and American oak barrels. The range consists of three lines, together amounting to some 40,000 bottles a year. Vinum Estate welcomes visitors for tastings at the winery and runs a summer terrace in the centre of the capital, Chișinău. We currently have four wines from Vinum Estate in our range. You can view all our wines from Vinum Estate here.

If you want to know more about this winery, here you will find the link to the website of Vinum Estate.