PGI wine region

Valul lui Traian

The warm south, between the Prut and the Black Sea

Valul lui Traian is the southern wine region of Moldova, a PGI of 43,203 hectares of vineyards. Strong sun, Black Sea breezes and black earth give deeply coloured reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Saperavi and Fetească Neagră, as well as sparkling and liqueur wines.

Shop the 20 wines of Valul lui Traian Read the story

Where

South Moldova: Leova, Cantemir, Cahul, Comrat, Ceadâr-Lunga, Taraclia and Vulcănești

Landscape

The Bugeac plain, the Tigheci forests and the terraces of the Prut

Languedoc (France) · Christian Ferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0

Altitude

From 5 metres on the Prut to 311 metres in the hills

Valul lui Traian

Languedoc (France)

Like the Languedoc, where vineyards climb from the coastal plain to sunny hills about 300 metres high.

Known for

Deeply coloured reds, sparkling and liqueur wines

Valul lui Traian in figures

The official figures of the Valul lui Traian PGI, from the National Office for Vine and Wine.

of vineyards for PGI wine: 43,203 ha
above sea level: 5–311 m
sunny days a year: 310–320
of rain a year: 450–550 mm
average yearly temperature: 9.5–10 °C
of active temperatures, summed over the season: 3,200–3,450 °C
days of growing season above 10 °C: 179–187

Districts

Leova
Cantemir
Cahul
Comrat
Ceadâr-Lunga
Taraclia
Vulcănești

Natural areas

Bugeac Plain
Tigheci Forests
Prut river terraces

Rivers

Prut
Ialpug
Cahul

The terroir of Valul lui Traian

Vineyards, fields and a village in the south

Climate

Sun, heat and a sea breeze

Valul lui Traian has a temperate continental climate with a Black Sea influence. It lies in Moldova's dry zone: 450 to 550 mm of rain, 310 to 320 sunny days, 3,200 to 3,450 °C of active temperatures and a growing season of 179 to 187 days. The breeze from the sea and the shade of the Tigheci forests temper the heat, conditions that favour black grapes.

Landscape

Hills, deep valleys and old sea beds

Heights range from 5 to 311 metres, 114 metres on average, and 77% of the land slopes between 1° and 10°, facing mostly east, west, south-west and south-east. The Prut, Ialpug and Cahul rivers drain it. Underneath lie Miocene clays and sands, coastal and delta sediments, and red Tertiary deposits rich in trace elements in the Ciumai, Vulcănești and Etulia micro-zones.

Soil

The black earth of the steppe

Chernozem covers 78% of the region, mostly the carbonate (38%) and common (31%) types, with leached chernozem on 6%. The Bugeac steppe makes up 71% of the area, the hilly forest-steppe 18%, and the Tigheci hills 11%, with leached chernozem and grey forest soils. In texture, loamy clay (47%) and clay (34%) dominate.

Black earth (chernozem) 78%
Loamy clay 47%
Clay 34%

Other photographs: Wine of Moldova (ONVV)

Winter in the vineyards of the south · Wine of Moldova (ONVV)

The wines of Valul lui Traian

Black grapes cover about 60% of the PGI vineyards and white grapes 40%. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Saperavi and Fetească Neagră lead the reds; Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat Ottonel the whites. Dry, sparkling, late-harvest and liqueur wines are all made here.