Lilia Dulgher: Wine as art, science, design and refinement
Gitana wines come from the wine-growing area named “Valul lui Traian”. Being natives of these lands, we have not chosen accidentally this area, famous for its red grapes with maximum potential and often compared to the Bordeaux area of France. At first, we produced wine from the grapes brought by farmers,
grapes that were not good enough for a high-quality wine, because farmers often did not comply with the terms of ripening and variety. Now we can afford the luxury to produce wine from the best grapes: ripe, healthy and picked at the right time, harvest time being also very important.
If ten years ago we were in the top of the three largest exporters of wine in bulk and we were dreaming about bottle export, now our dreams have come true, because in June 2011 we marked the “birth” of the first bottles of “Gitana” brand. Maybe it took too long to launch the first bottle, but it is a family business and wine define as family, a company, as a nation and to create a positive image both here at home and abroad, every step must be thought thoroughly, including the first one. Therefore, we may have chosen a long and expensive way which starts from purchasing the land, continuing with planting vines and re-equipment of the factory specialized in producing red and dessert wines. We focused on the fermentation of grapes and wine maturation in oak vats.
The goal we had from the very beginning was to build and consolidate a style that would be specific for Gitana wines, wines that are elegant and complex with a unique personality that reflects the passion of the winemaker and the characteristics of the terroir of origin. The product should come with something specific, unique, something that will attract, the reason why we opted for Feteasca Regala, a local variety of grape-vine that is hard to be found to other wineries. Referring to red wines, we chose to reduce the level of tannins, contributing to the increase of fruitiness and a good expression of varietal character.
When creating the brand and label, we worked with a famous designer from Argentina, who conceived the way to transit from winery “Tiganca”, factory founded in 1953, with an excellent reputation both in Moldova and in the former Soviet Union for its red and dessert wines, to the brand “Gitana”, which was a foreign brand and still unknown.
For a year we have expanded retail, now our wines are sold in Duty-free and supermarkets “Green Hills”, “Nr. 1 “,” Fourchette “.We launched three major projects, including the common bottle for “Nobil Luxury Boutique” hotel and “Jazz” hotel, „Saperavi la Taifas” wine for the restaurant” La Taifas “.
Currently, we export wine in Canada, the decision was taken after participating in international exhibitions, where we assessed the readiness of the brand “Gitana” for export. There we understood that we will only succeed if we will be more creative and innovative because we have a terroir with unique qualities, but that is not an argument for surviving in a world that actually swims in wine. Medal of Singapore for Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 surprised us and we enjoyed it a lot, challenging us to make an effort and insist on exports.
We always strive to be in the consumer’s attention by wine tasting organized by profile clubs; we offered wines for a number of cultural events in the country and monitored the reaction of the consumer. We are excited about people to feedback and we notice that to every event, “Gitana” wines seduce more and more consumers.
As the wine-growing area “Valul lui Traian” has not only the potential to produce high-quality wines, but also to dazzle visitors, for the future we will focus on the ethnic-tourism side, so that we can offer touristic packages for both amateurs as well as wine connoisseurs.