Discover Moldova with #MOLDPRES: Winery from Cojusna which exports whisky to Africa

The Moldpres team this week recommends you a new destination placed at a distance of only 15 km from Chisinau - the Chateau Cojusna winery. We invite you to make an imaginary tour to the tourist complex with us and learn the location’s curiosities.   

The winery was set up by businessman Grigore Panus in 1995 and presently it is one of the biggest producers and exporters of wines and cognacs from Moldova.   

„We export to 25 countries, among which China, USA, Poland, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Romania and others. About 30 per cent of the drinks are exported to Belarus,’’ the tourism manager, Ala Valeanu, said.     

According to Valeanu, 80 per cent of the drinks produced are exported and 20 per cent remain in Moldova. What is curious is that the winery sells whisky as far as to the African continent and namely to an importer from Nigeria.

The holding managed to grow its own vineyards from those three hectares of land bought almost 30 years ago. It is about 240 hectares of vine of European and Moldovan varieties.  

„We have 240 employees; most of them are from Cojusna and in last February, we managed to open a restaurant with a capacity of 120 people. Presently, the construction of 12 small houses is underway, which will be able to be rented in the near future,’’ Ala Valeanu noted.   

The winery also has four tasting rooms, decorated in various styles, a museum where you can admire a collection of corkscrews, with a spectacular view to the area round.    

Collection wines are preserved in the underground cellars – over 100,000 bottles, at a constant temperature and humidity, so that the cork always remains wet and does not allow oxygen entering the bottle.   

„Codru”is the oldest collection wine (1989) and can be purchased only at order; it is not available in specialized shops. This is a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (40%). Another collection wine is Marsala (1990) – the visiting card of the winery.  

„This is a product out of three varieties of white grapes and has a small addition of brandy. This collection wine can be preserved for more than 80 years,’’ Ala Valeanu said.    

Visiting the sections for the production and preservation of cognacs, one understands why a cognac is a more expensive drink from the very beginning.  

„First of all, a distiller is necessary, which represents a pretty costly investment. We have bought one in France in 2008, just from the Cognac region and which is unique in Moldova. Secondly, oak barrels specially for cognac are necessary; we buy them also from France, as well as from Caucasus. Thirdly, it is about time – one needs to wait for three years, in order to have the end product,’’ Ala Valeanu noted.     

The oldest collection cognac has 15 years.