"I think the first batches of [Moldovan] wine could be delivered in January or February," Gennady Onishchenko told Ekho Moskvy radio.
Moldova has launched a rigorous quality control and certification system for wines and liquors it sells both domestically and abroad, the Moldovan presidential press office said Wednesday.
All alcoholic beverages slated for export will be required to apply for a state trademark with the regulatory agency overseeing their sale. Beverages intended for distribution inside the country will need a quality excise from the tax inspectorate agency.
The measure is aimed at restoring importer confidence in Moldovan wines, the impoverished post-Soviet nation's key export.
Russia, the largest market for Moldovan wines and brandy, banned them last March for an alleged failure to meet its food quality regulations.
In November, President Vladimir Putin promised to reverse the ban if Moldova introduces a proper quality control system.
