It is all about wine in Moldova. Each year on the second weekend of October, Chisinau turns into the biggest wine tasting place one can imagine. In 2002, the government decided to celebrate Bacchus and his followers officially and proclaimed Sărbătoarea Vinului, the Moldovan wine holiday. „It is great that you are all here. This year's wine festival ist the biggest ever," so President Voronin in his opening speech. Wine enthusiasts from all over the world could visit more than 100 wine stands. The quality ranged from premium wines to simple table wines. You just had to give it a try. Traditional musicians and folcloristic dancers performed on the enormous stage, local handicraft exhibitions rounded the programme up.