After 600 years of contiguous planting, Château Purcari started bottling under its iconic label in 1827. In 1878, Negru de Purcari, a blend featuring the indigenous Rara Neagra, was awarded a gold medal in a blind tasting at the Paris World Expo. Most believed it to be an exceptional new Bordeaux. This is not surprising, as the wine regions of Moldova sit at the same latitude as Bordeaux, their soils are similar and they share a lot of similar climactic conditions. At the turn of the century, the winery replanted 250 ha of vineyards, refreshing and retraining the vines with an eye towards crafting fine wines instead of the large volumes of inexpensive wines demanded by Moldova’s former largest export partner, Russia. During the replanting, care was taken to bring back the indigenous Rara Neagra and white Viorica grapes that had largely been ignored, for decades, in favour of French varieties. Château Purcari was the most awarded winery in the world in 2022, amassing a stunning 333 international awards including a Platinum medal and “Best in Show” at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Approximately 30% of the winery’s vineyards are currently undergoing organic conversion.