Moldova's most famous red wine: a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Saperavi and Rară Neagră from Purcari, served wide across Chișinău wine bars.
Negru de Purcari has been bottled at Château Purcari since 1827, the year Tsar Nicholas I issued a decree granting the estate the status of the first specialized winery in Bessarabia. At the 1878 Paris World Expo, French tasters mistook the dry red for a Bordeaux and awarded it a gold medal once the Moldovan origin was revealed. Queen Elizabeth II is the documented modern royal fan. The blend leads with Cabernet Sauvignon, with Saperavi from the Georgian tradition planted at Purcari and the indigenous Rara Neagra grape for length. It is the wine every Moldovan restaurant offers and the headline pour at Ziua Nationala a Vinului.
