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HistoryPurcari
The history of Château Purcari traces its origins back to the distant year of 1560 when, by his decree, ruler Alexandru Lăpușneanu bestowed the Purcari region to the Căpriana Monastery, which at the time was under the protection of the Zografu Monastery of Mount Athos. Following monastic practices, a historic cellar in the shape of a cross was constructed on the site where the Purcari winery would later emerge.
With immense and untapped natural potential, the Purcari region caught the attention of foreign settlers, who, starting from the 17th century, laid the foundations for winemaking traditions that are still employed even centuries later.
One of the most renowned figures of the time, Louis-Vincent Tardent, the man who traveled on foot from Zurich to Chișinău, layed the foundations of the Swiss colony Schabag-Schabo. A scholar and professionally trained botanist, Tardent explored the southern area of the Purcari locality and mentioned in contemporary sources: “If you want to see paradise on earth, you will not find a better place.” He was the first to observe the similarities between the Basarabian terroir of the Purcari region and the famous wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Thanks to the continuous efforts of the Swiss settlers, which involved paying a tithe and a proper cultivation of agricultural lands, Purcari became a significant point on the national viticulture map.
In 1827, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia issued a Special Decree, leading to the establishment of the first specialized wine estate in Bessarabia at Purcari. The historical attestation of the first lease agreement dates back to 1855 when the Purcari estate, previously in the custody of Archimandrite Mofodie of Căpriana, passed into the lease of the merchant Iacob Ghermanson, also known as Harmizon.
Following these economic transitions and agricultural transformations, the decade marked the national and international recognition of Purcari’s potential as the highest-quality Moldovan wine. In 1847, it received the gold medal at the Bessarabian Agricultural Fair, and in 1878, at the World Exhibition in Paris, the Emblematic Negru de Purcari became the first Moldovan wine awarded at an international event.
After gaining increasing popularity, the Purcari wine became part of royal protocol, being served at the tables of Tsar Nicholas II, King George V, and Queen Victoria of Great Britain.
The interwar period is marked by the Congress of Wine Producers from Bessarabia (1921 – 1923). Wines from the Cetatea Albă area (which includes the village of Purcari) received high praise as a result of the efforts of specialists from the Swiss colony of Schabag-Schabo.
The 1950s are a landmark in the history of national winemaking, being the period in which Pimen Cupcea, a prominent specialist in the field of viticulture, recreates the recipe for the legendary Negru de Purcari wine. Ten years later, in the 1960s, the academician Petru Ungurean describes, in detail, the terroir of the Purcari region, enabling the proper exploration of its natural potential.
The beginning of the 2000s marked a rebirth for Château Purcari, which became an integral part of the Purcari Wineries Group, led by Victor Bostan. From this point, the reconstruction of Château Purcari began—a new location on the map of national wine tourism—and the start of an intense process of reutilization and innovation at the winery. This involved the renewal of technologies, improvement of raw material processing techniques, and the planting of over 250 hectares of vineyards.
