CHISINAU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's two-day National Wine Day, aiming to promote wine production and exports, ended here on Sunday.
"It is a promising year awaiting us. It is expected a harvest of over 700,000 tonnes of grapes. We want this amount of fruit to find its buyer in the country or abroad," said Georgeta Mincu, Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, at the inauguration on Saturday.
Moldova is a country with the biggest density of vineyards in the world, covering 3.8 percent of its territory and 7 percent of its arable land. It is also a country where wine sales are heavily dependent on exports, with the domestic wine consumption accounting for less than 20 percent of total production, while over 80 percent depending on markets abroad, according to official statistics.
The Moldovan authorities hold the large-scale wine event every year in the center square of the capital city, awarding outstanding wine producers and quality products, so as to enhance the reputation of Moldova quality wines at home and abroad and promote domestic consumption and exports.
This annual event in early October attracts wine producers, wine lovers and tourists from all over the world, including many Chinese citizens, as the Asian country is one of the major importers of Moldovan wines.
The 18th edition of the National Wine Day this year gathered 68 wineries. Apart from wine tasting and wine knowledge lectures by professional sommeliers, visitors are also offered gastronomic surprises, as well as the recitals of famous performers and bands.
Novelty of this year's edition is the wine tours, which take visitors to famous wineries with tourist facilities across the country.
The organizer estimated that the event had attracted more than 100,000 visitors and tourists in two days.
