Another wine from our wine tour of Moldova. We didn’t visit the Carlevana winery, but it was a choice for the evening menu at a restaurant near our hotel in the center of Chisinau. The duck leg with sweet potato puree and a sauce with a slightly sweet red wine sauce complemented the wine perfectly.
Merlotage 2023 from the Carlevana winery is a dry red wine from the Republic of Moldova, which represents a classic French type of cuvée based on the Merlot variety and is complemented by Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is therefore a combination of three important red varieties that have different characteristics and complement each other in the resulting wine. Carlevana states that Merlotage is one of their two red blends that have been produced for over 20 years. The wine is aged for 18 months in oak barrels.
As mentioned above, the basis of Merlotage is Merlot, one of the most important blue varieties of French origin, which is closely linked especially to Bordeaux, where it has become one of the main varieties for the production of red wines. Merlot is characterized by soft tannins, fuller body and pronounced fruitiness. In young wines, notes of plums, cherries and black fruits appear, while spicy, cocoa, tobacco and tertiary notes are added during maturation. The second variety used in this wine is Malbec, which also has French origin, despite the current popularity of Argentine wines. Its historical homeland is southwest France, especially the Cahors region. In the past, it was also known as Côt, or Auxerrois. Malbec gives the blend a deeper color, a more pronounced structure, dark fruit and a spicy character. In Cahors, it is still the basic variety of local wines. The third component of the wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety also famous primarily from the Bordeaux region. It brings firmer tannins, acidity, structure and the potential for longer aging to the blend. Cabernet Sauvignon often has blackcurrant, black fruit, spice in its aromas, and notes of tobacco, cedar or graphite during aging.
The combination of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon is therefore not at all accidental. Merlot brings fruitiness and a softer expression, Malbec color and depth, and Cabernet Sauvignon structure. The result is a more complex red wine, compared to a wine made from a single variety.
The Carlevana winery is located in the village of Merenii Noi, approximately 25 km from Chisinau, in the central part of the Republic of Moldova, in the Codru region. The history of the winery dates back to 1959 and is associated with the post-war development of Moldovan viticulture and winemaking and the Soviet MoldVinProm system. Six modern grape processing lines were built in the original enterprise, each with a capacity of 10 tons per hour. The total seasonal capacity reached approximately 10,000 tons of grapes. An important milestone was 1996, when a new stage of the enterprise’s development began after privatization. A modern Italian bottling line was installed and production gradually shifted to bottled wines. Since 1999, the Carlevana winery has also begun to focus on the production of higher-quality and archive wines.
Carlevana is one of the wineries in Moldova that combines traditional methods with modern technology. The winery manages approximately 151 hectares of vineyards in the Codru region. It grows international varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the Moldovan Rara Neagră and the less common varieties Sauvignon Gris and Pinot Gris. The vineyards are located at an altitude of approximately 70–100 meters above sea level, and the winery reports an average planting density of 3,000 roots per hectare.
An interesting aspect of Carlevana’s history is the production of ice wine. In 2003, the winery became the first producer in Moldova to produce Ice Wine under the name Brumăriu. This was followed by the Ambrosia Riesling wine from grapes infected with the noble rot Botrytis cinerea. Today, Carlevana also produces port-type wines that are aged for three years in oak barrels.
Here is the description of the wine:
The wine has a deep garnet color with a dark rim. In the glass, it appears concentrated and its color intensity corresponds to the proportion of dark blue varieties, especially Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The aroma is intense and fruity-woody. In the initial phase, black fruits stand out, especially blackberries, blackcurrants and plums. Gradually, tones of vanilla, cocoa, dark chocolate and fine spices are added. Oak aging adds another layer to the aroma, complementing the fruity character without completely covering it.
In terms of taste, Merlotage 2023 is a fuller, dry red wine with pronounced fruitiness and a medium to high tannin structure. The taste of the wine copies its aroma – plums, blackberries and blackcurrants dominate at the beginning, and then oak, vanilla, cocoa and dark chocolate appear.
Merlot softens the harshness of Cabernet Sauvignon and gives the wine a softer expression, while Malbec increases the color intensity and adds juiciness and dark fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon provides a firmer skeleton of the wine. Oak aging for 18 months then adds another aromatic and structural layer in the form of cocoa, dark chocolate and vanilla.
The wine has sufficient alcohol concentration to give it a fuller impression, but its character does not depend solely on alcohol or wood. The combination of fruitiness, tannins and oak aging is especially important.
Alcohol is 14% vol.
The recommended serving temperature is 16–18 °C. When opening the bottle, it is advisable to let the wine breathe for about an hour, or decant it – even the winery recommends about an hour of aeration before consumption.
Merlotage 2023 is particularly suitable for dishes with a stronger taste and higher protein content. It goes well with beef and veal liver, grilled or roasted beef, steak, game and duck. Mushroom dishes and mature hard cheeses are also suitable combinations. The more pronounced tannins and fruity concentration of the wine allow for a combination with spicier meat preparations. Carlevana recommends Merlotage especially with roasted meat, game, beef, duck and blue cheeses.
The 2023 vintage Merlotage won a silver medal at the international Decanter World Wine Awards in 2025. This is an international award specifically for the 2023 vintage. Merlotage has also had successes in previous years. The 2022 vintage won a gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2025 and a bronze medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025. The older 2019 vintage won a gold medal in 2021. The above awards show that the Carlevana winery has reached the level of world winemaking with this wine.
Merlotage 2023 is a typical example of how the Moldovan wine industry can work with international varieties and create a wine with a strong varietal base, but at the same time with its own character.
At the same time, Merlotage well represents the current face of the technology and philosophy of the Moldovan wine industry – the use of international varieties, modern technological equipment and an emphasis on the maturation of red wines. In the case of Carlevana, it is also interesting that Merlotage is not a short-term project, but a blend that this winery has been producing for more than two decades.
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