Authorities celebrate a successful National Wine Day, noting PMAN's linguistic diversity
The "Wine of Moldova" country brand has reached new organizational standards and achieved increasingly significant international recognition. Tourists from over 30 countries attended the 25th edition of National Wine Day, held in Chișinău on October 3 and 4. The event was marked not only by a record number of visitors in the Great National Assembly Square (PMAN) but also by a Guinness World Record—the largest grapevine "formed" by 493 people.
"We made history this year. We managed to organize the event in such a way that no one experienced any discomfort. We focused on the visitor experience—featuring wine tastings, guided tours, and visits to wineries from across the country, which hosted performances over the course of two days," stated Ștefan Iamandi, Director of the National Office for Vine and Wine (ONVV), on the "Bună Dimineața" program on Moldova 1.
According to the official, the Great National Assembly Square became a place where almost every language in the world was spoken, demonstrating that National Wine Day has become a globally recognized celebration.
"We also recorded a record number of participants at the tastings. Romanian was hardly heard in the Great National Assembly Square—the language of the day was international. We heard so many languages; we can say there were visitors from all over the world," the ONVV head noted.
The most anticipated event of the celebration was the setting of a new Guinness World Record for the largest human image of a grapevine. This was achieved on Saturday, October 3, when approximately 500 people gathered in the Great National Assembly Square to form the symbolic shape of the plant. "The National Office of Vine and Wine team put a great deal of effort into this. A few weeks before the record attempt, we filed an application with the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) to register this visual representation, as we wanted to ensure that no one else registered it before us in terms of intellectual property rights," said Ștefan Iamandi, recounting the organizational details of the event on national television.
Moreover, the most important element of this initiative was achieving color uniformity in the image. Each participant wore a specific outfit so that the human formation, when viewed from above, would appear as natural as possible.
"Special T-shirts and caps were procured, as this was a requirement set by the Guinness organizers. Without them, the color-based depiction would not have been possible. Each person was assigned a specific color; the leaf section, for instance, had to be green—no one could wear a different color in that area, as it wouldn't have accurately represented the design," added Ștefan Iamandi.
In total, five colors were used to create this image.
Each participant stood in a fixed spot and remained motionless. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, and other officials also took part, forming the “root” of the human grapevine.
“From a communications perspective, the Republic of Moldova has made history with this Guinness World Record. It is yet another opportunity to promote the country brand, which has been in development for over 13 years,” the director of the National Office for Vine and Wine told Moldova 1.
In addition to the Guinness World Record, other records were set at the 25th edition of National Wine Day. These include the participation of 114 wineries—eight more than at the previous edition.
The National Office for Vine and Wine also estimates that visitors from over 30 countries attended the event.
Traditionally, National Wine Day—the largest celebration dedicated to wine and the wine industry—takes place on the first weekend of October in the Great National Assembly Square.
