Pairing Moldovan Wine with Burmese Food

Disclosure: I received the following wines as media samples. All opinions are my own.

Ancient wine history

Located between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is an Eastern European country that has been making wine since 3000 BC.

The first grape vines in the area date back to 7000 BC, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the country adopted the European Union model of protected geographical regions.

4 Grape Growing Regions

These geographical regions have been divided into four major areas with the following characteristics.

#1 Valul lui Traian

• southwest Moldova
• warm, dry summers and mild winters
• soils are leached and carbonated chernozems
• produces 60% red wine with the remainder as sweet fortified white wine (Pastoral) and full bodied white wine
• historically known for Trajan’s Walls, built by the former Roman emperor

#2 Stefan Goda

• southeast Moldova
• average altitude of 120 meters
• moderate continental climate with Black Sea influence
• 450-550 ml rainfall
• noted for red grapes especially the indigenous Rara Neagra varietal

#3 Codru

• central Moldova
• coolest region with wooded hills, slopes and river valleys
• oak and linden forests protect vineyards from wind and frost
• noted primarily for white grapes

#4 Divin

• covers the entire Republic of Moldova
• produces spirits distilled from wine and aged at least 3 years with oak

Source: Enotourism Guide for the Republic of Molodova, by Wine of Moldova

Where in the world is Moldovan wine?

If you’re having trouble finding Moldovan wines in the US (like I did), they currently don’t export very much of it. Though I expect that to change in the years to come.

In 2018, exports went to the following countries:

BY VOLUME: Poland (14%) / Romania and Czech Republic (13%) / Russian Fed. (12%) / China (10%)
BY VALUE: Romania (15%) / China (13%)/ Poland (12.5%) / Czech (+11.4%) / Russian Fed. (11%)

Pairing with Burmese food

After tasting 3 wines from Moldova, I found them to be food friendly, highly drinkable, and on par with finer Eastern European wines I have tried.

Since Moldovan wines are relatively under the radar to the American market, I chose to pair them with another lesser known cuisine Asian cuisine.

Known officially as the country of Myanmar since 1989, the country is often still referred to by its old name of Burma and the cuisine as Burmese.

Bordered by India, China, Thailand, Laos, and Bangladesh, the cuisine certainly has influences from those countries but still mild enough to pair easily with wine.

While I found the wines to be versatile and actually paired nicely with all the food I made, these were my favorite combinations.

Pairing #1: Sparkling Crisecco with Burmese chicken curry

Burmese curries have fewer ingredients and spices than Thai or Indian curries and rely primarily on turmeric, garlic, ginger, and onion for flavor.

Coupled with a dash of coconut cream, I found the curry to sing and dance with the sparkling Crisecco wine that had notes of fresh green apples and toasted nuts.

The bubbles too really cut through the coconut milk and made the curry sizzle.

Pairing #2: Viorica white wine with spicy eggplant curry

Viorica is an indigenous Moldovan grape and my favorite of the three I tried.

Incredibly aromatic with a peach, pineapple, and floral nose, it tasted of kiwi, citrus, and some fresh herb.

I liked drinking this wine on its own, but it also made a cooling match with a spicy eggplant curry.

Pairing #3: Rare Neagra red wine with split pea fritters

These Burmese fritters are a bit like falafels but made with split peas instead of chickpeas and fewer spices.

Seasoned with a generous amount of onion and turmeric, these little crispy patties made for a nice little appeitzer with the Rara Neagra wine.

Another indigneous grape, the Rara Neagra as a red wine was surprisingly easy to pair and even went with spicy food. For that reason, I chose them with the crispy split pea fritters, since fried food is generally paired with sparkling or white wine but these made a warm, cozy match.

Overall, I was quite pleased with the quality of the Moldovan wines I taste and especially enjoyed their versatility with food.

I am certain they would pair finely with not just Burmese cuisine but a variety of others.

More food & Moldovan wine pairings

Check out these posts from the #winepw writers for more info on Moldovan wines and the foods that go with them:

Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “Cooking Out with Moldovan Wine”

Liz at What’s in that Bottle shares “Moldova Mashup: Wines of Moldova & Foods of the World“

Terri at Our Good Life shares “Special Celebration and Moldova Wines”

Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Smoked Pot Roast with a Negru de Purcari from Moldova”

David at Cooking Chat shares “Ground Beef Chili with Red Wine from Moldova”

Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Finally, a grill! Just in time for Moldovan wine pairing”

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Maidens from Moldova + Summer Suppers”

Jennifer at Vino Travels Italy shares “A Look into the Wines of Moldova”

Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Savory Cheese Crostata Paired with Moldovan Wines”

Michelle at Rockin Red Blog shares “Discovering Wines of Moldova.”

Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Have You Tasted Wines from Moldova? Try These!”

Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Uncorking Moldova – Three Wines To Try Now”

Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares “Getting To Know the Wines of Moldova”

Nicole at Somms Table shares “Tasty Moldovan Food & Wine Explorations”

Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Moldova: Bubbles, Red Blend, and …Pizza? Yes!”

Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Moldovan Wines and Korean Sushi – Kimbap”

Susannah from Avvinare shares “Moldova – An Ancient Country with Beautiful Wines to Discover”

Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Cabin Pairings for Moldovan Wines”