---
title: "Moldova revamps vineyards as EU bans hybrid wine grapes "
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/86646/moldova-revamps-vineyards-as-eu-bans-hybrid-wine-grapes
published: 2026-10-05T17:42:00Z
language: en
author: "Liubomir Guțu"
section: "Economic"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Moldova revamps vineyards as EU bans hybrid wine grapes 

> Moldova will phase out Isabella and Lidia wine grapes as European Union accession approaches, aligning local vineyards with strict European regulations on commercial winemaking, agriculture officials announced.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/77d58f6b-8517-49c3-a9c4-9b1a9a6279a0.jpg)

Moldova will phase out Isabella and Lidia wine grapes as European Union accession approaches, aligning local vineyards with strict European regulations on commercial winemaking, agriculture officials announced.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry is partnering with researchers to breed and plant climate-resilient vine varieties instead. Officials aim to support growers during this transition by unlocking funding through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.

**Phasing out hybrid vines**

*“Two grape varieties—Isabella and Lidia—will not be accepted for winemaking within the European Union once we become members,”* said Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Eugeniu Osmochescu during an interview on Radio Moldova. *“Our current challenge is expanding new plantations by accessing European support, especially funds allocated through our strategic agricultural framework.”*

Currently, farmers cultivate more than 5,000 hectares of these hybrid varieties across Moldova. As vineyard areas expand, replacing them with rootstock adapted to severe drought and frost remains essential.

*“We are at the intersection of industry, science, and research, planting grape varieties that resist climate shifts,”* Osmochescu noted. *“We are already doing this at the institute level with positive results, ensuring we stay competitive alongside major producers in France, Italy, or Spain.”*

**Consumer demand shifts to seedless grapes**

Beyond winemaking standards, table grape producers confront shifting European consumer habits. An economic study by analyst Ghenadie Ivașcenco highlighted that Western markets increasingly reject traditional seeded cultivars such as “Moldova.”

Seedless table grapes now account for roughly 80% of demand across Western European retail chains. Seeded varieties are purchased primarily as low-cost alternatives or out of nostalgia.

*“Depending on the market, season, and quality, seeded grapes sell for 40% to 50% less than modern seedless varieties,”* Ivașcenco said.

While competing producer nations adapted quickly, Moldova continued prioritizing familiar crops over market demand.

*“We failed to build a genuine transition program, underfunded research, and kept science detached from business,”* Ivașcenco emphasized. *“Farmers still lack rapid access to competitive rootstock and locally adapted technologies.”*

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

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