Little known fact: Stalin liked sweet wines better than non-sweet and he was from Georgia. He had a favorite, naturally sweet red wine made in Georgia called "Kindzmarauli." It is my and Ryan's theory that, to compete with that preference, other wine makers in the former USSR unnaturally sweetened their reds. That trend continues today. Even though a bottle we find at the supermarket may read "Merlot," it's likely mixed with some other fruit, like strawberries, or simply contains sugar. Yech. So one must be careful if one seeks a true, dry red wine here in Central Asia.
After some market research, Ryan and I identified a few consistent winners here in Kyrgyzstan. Which we purchase relatively often. We are not boozers, it's more of a local economic cash infusion, the American dollar hard at work supporting another nation. ;) Anyway, the red wines of our choosing are mostly Moldovan. We had a Cabernet Sauvignon last night at dinner which was lovely. It is sold under the label of "Chateau Vartely." Interestingly enough, that is the very same winery supported and promoted by a prior USAID project in Moldova, and the implementer of that USAID project was Chemonics!
Don't say international development is all about boring consulting and useless projects. It comes full circle. Chemonics' assistance (through USAID) to the Moldovan wine making industry from 2005 to 2006 resulted in the export of tasty wines! And I'm sure, jobs and improved livelihoods for Moldovan citizens. Read more about the project if you're interested in this USAID report: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACL324.pdf
A toast to your health!
