There is a particular desert wine, made in Moldova, called Moldova Bouquet (though you will never actually see it written that way). The label, of course is written in Russian cyrilic letters (which I cannot reproduce here) and using Latin letters in Romanian is says "BUKET MOLDAVII KRASNII" (the red version of course). It is readily available in Moldova and at the Chisinau airport, duty free. Though it IS supposedly exported to the US I can find nobody who carries it. It cannot even be easily Googled since the English spelling is not ever used and the Romanian spelling turns up nothing.
Does anybody know where I can get this wine in the US? And even better does anyone know how I could get a local wine store to have access to it? (The people working their just shrug their shoulders and say thaey have no idea how to get it.)
And lastly - is anybody in the US aware of ANY Moldovan wine that is actually available on our shelves?
Jet,I have a couple of bottles of this exact wine in my home,I was lucky enough to get it from the mother-in-law when she last came back from Ukraine.Of course I have no idea where you could obtain it in the US,but a very good (russian) friend of mine who runs a restaurant here in Liverpool imports a lot of wines and spirits from all over the FSU.
I will make some enquiries for you and if possible find out shipping cost to the States.
PS as with a lot of Moldovan wines the taste is absolutely superb.But from your question I suspect you know that already..:))
Firstly in response to BF, I have not booked yet, but will probably go via vienna, Frankfurt or hopefully Paris,as Moldovan Airlines are starting a service from Paris to Chisinau on 13th December. I will probably fly out on the 23rd, which is an arse as flights cost loads a money.
Jetmba, The main thing on mind, as I have never been to the FSU, is what to watch out for, as far as being scammed goes?
Being on this forum, has made me very wary of a girl scamming me, we have spoken on the phone and she has never asked for money, there will be no need for A translater as she speaks good English, she did suggest that i book an apartment through a girl who it turns out runs starsvet agency, i immediatley thought scammer, but on further scrutiny, people on here have booked apartments through them and seemed happy.
If I do think she's a scammer from day one, what is there to do for the remaining six days?
Any advice is appreciated.
Much of what you need to know, you will know when you meet her. For instance, you will know if she is, indeed, the woman in the pictures you've seen. Personal chemistry should help you reveal much as well. Not asking for money yet is a good sign. It could mean that she is entirely legitimate or it COULD mean that she will wait untill she has your full attention before taking you on shopping trips, or explaining how dire her needs are.
It is certainly goo d that you have a particular agency you are working with in the event that things absolutely do not work out between you. Would be a nightmare to sit in a foreign country like Moldova where you don't know anyone or even the language and not have a back up plan. If she is like most FSU women that I have met - she WILL shower you with attention and not allow you a lot of free time to look elsewhere. So that is definitely NOT something you will be able to do casually. It won't be something you'll be able to do AT ALL unless you absolutely bomb.
I sat for nearly a week when I went to Latvia - without any contacts whatsoever. We ALL make dumb mistakes from time to time in our searches. And my dumb mistake was to think that it would be as easy to meet women, without any help, in Latvia as it had been in Odessa. Even without the benefit of a Social guys were meeting girls left and right in Odessa.
In Latvia I simply checked into a hotel room, found an internet cafe, and started writing to girls from fiance.com and a few other sources saying "I'm here and I'd like to meet you tonight!!'. The basic reaction I received was either "So, what?" OR "I know all about sex tourists and if that's what you are hear for I don't want to meet you."
Took me four or five DAYS to get a date - after that my schedule quickly filled and the women I met seemed to want to stay with me and I wished the trip had been longer. But for the first four days or so it was BORING.
I doubt that would happen to you in Moldova - but it is best to insure against it.
I would be happy to give more specific advice if you care to email me directly. Try writing to me at jetmba@yahoo.com
You don't want that.
Zeeco,
Carpatair are already flying, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, CDG to Chisinau with a transit stop in Timisoara each direction.
With regards to your question: If I do think she's a scammer from day one, what is there to do for the remaining six days?
I've dumped three ladies previously part way during the week for 'taking the piss', I merely got on with it myself, you could try making a note of some Moldovian agencies before you go as a back up.
Have you tried looking for that wine in New York? I know they ship products to the Russian deli shops all over the US from there. Maybe they've got some Moldovan stuff there as well?
I've checked with a few places in New York. I've not been able to find it anywhere. In the US there are also certain laws regarding commerical shipment of wine from state to state. Every state seems to have its own restrictions and many stores can't or won't risk shipping wine across state lines. If I can find someplace that handles the wine I will figure something out reqrding transport.
I still think that you might succeed there, if you know where to look. I know a woman who bought Russian antibiotics without a prescription in New York.
Maybe not though. I haven't been to the place myself, so what do I know?
This is probably not the best place to talk about your friends selling drugs. Too much information. We can talk later.
Jet
You could import a container load from Moldova and distribute it to all the outlets around. Maybe promote it as Vampire blood. It could be a huge success:)
Dont forget, my cut is 5% after your first million
Reading over your posts, you sound like a very intelligent and interesting person. I would like to write to you outside this public forum if you are so inclined.
It used to be that our email addresses were posted right next to our screen names when we wrote here. So we could easily email each other - they no longer appear that way. Mine is jetmba@yahoo.com - I invite you to send me an email if you would care to.
Jet,
There are a string of shops along the southern NJ/PA line called Roger Wilco. They carry every type of wine I have ever seen, including Moldavian. My wife (Ukraine) said their selection was excellent. Let me know, if I can help in some way.
You can get that and a lot of other good FSU wines at Jon's Markets in Los Angeles. Jon's is a chain of small supermarkets owned by Armenian immigrants and which cater to the local Armenian population. Shopping there is like taking a trip back to FSU - gold teeth and yellow gold disco chains, babushkas, pungent body odor, vocal patrons, women shopping in stilettos, babas shopping in pajamas, fresh produce unorganized and heaped in bins, and lots and lots of goodies from Russia, Ukraine, many of the former Soviet republics, and Turkey. This includes a really goos selection of East European beer, wine, and hard alcohol.
There are at least three Jons in the Los Angeles area - Glendale, North Hollywood and Van Nuys. Clever Armenians bought some old "Vons" markets and just changed the "V"s on the signs to "J"s. (You could be fooled driving by them because they look like Vons'. But then again, you will know they are not because of all the kooky, broken down cars with immigrant drivers pulling weird traffic stunts in front of them to get in and out of the the Jons parking lots.)
However, it sounds like you are on the East Coast?