Our Winery Tour Experience in Moldova – Best Wineries in Moldova You Should Visit
A winery tour experience in Moldova is one of the best things to do in this beautiful and most underrated country! Let us share with you my personal experience first hand.
A very young European country, Moldova is usually overlooked by tourists. Although the country is considered one of the poorest in Europe, it is actually a small charming country that everyone should explore. Welcoming around only a hundred thousand visitors per year, Moldova is the ideal place to visit if you don’t want to find yourself in a very touristy destination.
Aside from that, there are plenty of reasons why you should visit this country. As for now, I will tell you about my winery tour experience in Moldova with Winetours Moldova.
Table of Contents
About Moldova and What it is Known For
Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe that used to be part of the USSR. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south of the disputed territory of Transnistria. It is well known in the region as one of the best wine-producing countries in the East European region and beyond. Their wineries win awards every year in global competitions and the country holds some of the largest wine collections in the world, even being recorded in the Guinness World Records.
On my visit, I visited 5 of the top wineries in the country and I will still only be scratching the surface of what Moldova has to offer.
The Best Wineries in Moldova that You Should Visit
A small country but is big when it comes to the wine world. Below is a list of the best wineries in Moldova that you should visit.
1. Asconi Winery
A place with a wonderful atmosphere. Asconi Winery is a large well-groomed area with a beautiful landscape, production workshops, a restaurant, guest houses, and a wine tasting room. The restaurant offers dishes of Moldavian and Balkan cuisine. And one of the terraces offers a beautiful view of the vineyards. At Asconi Winery, they kept the local traditional styling while using the best available modern technologies. This is the place where you can try some of the best wines in Moldova, along with authentic regional food in an atmosphere.
I was given a tour of the property, the winery, and the fermentation facilities with one of the owners, Mika, before being given the chance to learn to make the traditional local Placinta pastry! In the evening I enjoyed a paired wine tasting with Diana, a winery guide and certified wine technologist. I learned a lot more than I ever have before about tasting wine with food and the atmosphere was perfect!
Best Asconi Wines You Should Try:
- Riesling
- Pinot Noir
- Malbec
European Varieties:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chardonnay
- Merlot
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Muscat
Moldovan Local Varieties:
- Feteasca Neagra
- Feteasca Alba
In addition, you can also try their own Ice-wine which is made from frozen grapes.
2. Chateau Vartely
Another luxury award-winning winery in Moldova. Chateau Vartely has been operating since 2004. But in 2008, they opened a tourist complex that is just 45 km from Chisinau. This complex has its own unique architecture and three accommodation buildings in the style of the local traditional architecture of the three main regions of the country. I visited Chateau Vartely for an excellent brunch buffet followed by a tour of the winery and cellars.
Best Vartely Wines You Should Try:
- Feteasca Regala
- Taraboste
- Individo (Rara Neagra, Malbec, Syrah)
- Chateau Vartely Brut Sparkling White
- Taraboste Tribut
3. Chateau Purcari
Chateau Purcari is located around 100 km from Chisinau. Today, it has one of the most reputable exports of wine among all Moldovan wine companies. For this reason, it has entered more than 25 markets around the world. It is also popular in countries like the Czech Republic, the UK, China, the US, Canada, Poland, Norway, and the Baltic countries.
When I arrived at Chateau Purcari, I began my wine experience with a glass of sparkling wine and some snacks before I started the tour of the winery itself. I drove around the expansive vineyards, which stretch for kilometers in every direction!
After a tour of the winemaking operation and the cellars, with a combination of traditional oak barrels and giant clay fermentation vessels, I met back in the restaurant for a taster session of their incredible fine dining menu.
Best Chateau Purcari Wines You Should Try:
- Ice-wine
- Chardonnay de Purcari (Dry white wine)
- Nocturne, Cabernet Sauvignon (Red dry wine)
- Nocturne, Pinot Grigio (Dry white wine)
- Nocturne, Rose (Dry Rose wine)
- Viorica de Purcari (Viorica wine)
- Alb de Purcari
4. Milestii Mici
If you want to have a high-quality Moldovan wine in a truly unique atmosphere, Milestii Mici is the place to be. This is also the place where you can visit a huge underground cellar, full of wine, bottles, and an atmosphere saturated with wine romance. Here, you can find the Golden Wine Collection at the depth of 80 meters below the ground. There are millions of bottles that are kept here, the oldest one dates back to 1969, which earned Milestii Mici a place in the Guinness record books as the largest wine collection in the world! Miljesti Mici is located in a former underground limestone quarry, where man-made tunnels stretch for miles under the surface.
Best Milestic Mici Wines You Should Try:
- Pinot
- Muscat
- Dnestrovscoie
- Milestscoie
- Traminer
- Auriu
- Riesling
- Feteasca
5. Branesti Winery / Cellars
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Branesti Winery or Branesti Cellars is located near Old Orhei in the Branesti village. They have a total of 800 hectares of their own vineyards around the forested slopes of Orheiul Vechi, and also nearby the villages of Romaneşti and Tudora.
During my visit, I was invited to the Epoca Piatra restaurant for mulled wine and local Placinta pastries.
Best Branesti Wines You Should Try:
- Madeira
- Marsala
- Pastoral
- Aligote
- Sauvignon
6. Cricova Winery
Cricova is one of the most popularly known tourism destinations and amazing wine heritage collection in Moldova. It also holds the second-largest cellar in the world. The moment you descend into the underground world of wines, you will be stunned by the variety of wine collections. The oldest bottle you can find here is the “European Easter”. a red dessert wine from Jerusalem, dated 1902.
Best Wine You Should Try:
- Champagne Avenue
- Cabernet Street
- Feteasca
- Aligote
- Sauvignon
- Riesling
- Codru
7. Castel Mimi Winery
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Castel Mimi is another important winery you should visit in Moldova. Aside from its stunning architecture, the winery also has a collective memory of its wine that visitors can see through its wine tour. The tour features photographs of the winery’s resilience through different empires such as Romanian, Russian, and Soviet Rule.
Best Wine You Should Try:
- Muscat
- Rkatsiteli
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Gris
- Malbec
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinot Noir
- Traminer
- Whites
Blends:
- Sfaditele
- Isteria
- Rosu de Bulboaca
8. Chateau Cojusna
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Chateau Cojusna is best known for its dessert wines. They make wine from their grapes that grow through their 600 hectares of vines. Chateau Cojusna is also one of the largest privately-owned wineries in Moldova. It’s very easy to go here as it’s just a 20-minute drive from Chisinau.
Best Wine You Should Try:
- Sauvignon blanc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Muscat
- Pinot noir
- Merlot
9. Et Cetera
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Et Cetera is a family-owned winery located southeast of Chisinau. It has its own airstrip and visitors can fly from Chisinau to Et Cetera via the winery’s private, four-person plane. Once here, have a taste of their very popular rosé, and check-in in one of their lovely rooms. You can also take a bike tour of the vineyards.
Best Wine You Should Try:
- Spumante
- Cuvee Blanc
- Cuvee Rouge
- Carmenere
- Aeroplane Cuvee Rouge
- Aeroplane Affinite
10. KaraGani
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KaraGani is located in Southern Moldova. They offer both traditional vintages and a glimpse of the history and culture of the Gagauz people. The Gagauz people are a small Turkic ethnic group of Eastern Orthodox Christians. They have their own language, Gargauz, which is on the UNESCO list of endangered languages.
Best Wine You Should Try:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Aligote
- Muscat Ottonel
- Traminer
Overall Moldavian Wine You Should Try
Red:
- Taraboste Red
- Chateau Vartely Illustro and Negre
- Fautor Winery 5 Elemente, Equinox Winery
- Equinox Winery
White:
- Chardonnay
- Chateau Cristi
- Taraboste Alb
- Chateau Vartely
Sparkling:
- Cricova Cuvee Prestige
- Cricova Blanc de Noir
My Winery Tour Experience with Winetours Moldova (and WINEBUS.md)
Upon arrival in Moldova, I practiced precautions, and my trip was privately arranged through Winetours Moldova. I’ll share with you my memorable winery tour experience below.
Day 1 – Our Winery Tour Experience in Moldova
After arriving in Moldova the night before and taking a taxi from the airport to the hotel, I started my first day with breakfast in a beautiful cafe in the center of old Chisinau. Then I met my guides for a walking tour of the city, exploring how the new and old parts of the city had blended together and changed over the centuries.
The variety of architecture here is striking, from the pre-war Russian Empire to then communist Brutalism and today’s modern buildings and renovations mixed into it all.
One thing that really struck me is the amount of public space, parks, and gardens, and pedestrianized cobbled streets. This is a city that cares about people and is designed with them at the center.
After our city tour, we visited our first winery, Miljesti Mici, which is located in a former underground limestone quarry. We entered the old quarry through an opening on the side of the mountain and soon started to see old wooden barrels and steel casks lining the tunnel walls.
At the deepest, we reached 65 meters below the surface, where some of the oldest wines are stored at a steady temperature and humidity.
We ended the tour with a tasting of 5 wines and a four-course lunch in front of a roaring open fireplace. Actually, we ended the tour with 6 bottles from the wine shop!
From Miljesti Mici it was only a 30-minute drive to our next destination and accommodation for the night, Asconi Winery.
When we arrived we were welcomed by Diana, a winery tour guide and certified Wine Technologist. Moldova has its own school of professional winemaking where she studied to become a winemaker.
After an hour to settle into my traditionally constructed thatched-roof cottage, I met for a tour of the winery with Diana and Mika, one of the family owners of the winery.
In contrast to the traditional style of the restaurants and hotel cottages, the winery uses all of the latest Italian equipment and machinery to produce the best wine possible, as naturally as possible. There are several restaurant spaces that can accommodate up to 800 people at once, yet every space feels homely and personal.
Before my dinner, I was given a class in making “Placinta”, a type baked crispy pastry filled with fresh cottage cheese, which is then cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven. My dinner was a 6-course wine pairing where I experienced the best Asconi wines, matched perfectly to traditional Moldovan cuisine like cottage cheese with sour creme, “Placinta”, homemade dumplings, grilled pork sausage, lamb stew, and sour cherry dumplings. I even tried their unique Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine!
The whole meal was an incredible way to experience the real Moldovan food and wine culture!
In the morning, after sleeping incredibly well, Jonny served me a delicious breakfast with fresh coffee and local meats and cheeses.
Day 2 – Our Winery Tour Experience in Moldova
On my second day, I had a great breakfast in one of the warm and homely Asconi restaurants before we headed out for my next destination, Butuceni Village.
Here we stopped at a viewpoint so that we could see the Orheiul Complex, where an ancient monastery and many caves have been carved out of the cliff faces by monks who were hiding from persecution.
After visiting the underground monastery we drove to the Epoca Piatra restaurant for mulled wine and local “Placinta” pastries. This incredible underground restaurant is located in an abandoned limestone mine, with amazing open fireplaces that have to reach many meters up to the surface. This all creates a unique atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else!
The owners even showed me around the next phase of their underground plans – an underground “stone age” hotel. I can’t wait to see it when it’s ready!
From there we drove up to Chateau Vartely where I checked into my home for the night, the top floor of a traditional style Moldovan house from the central region of Moldova. After an excellent brunch buffet, I had a tour of the winery and cellars. This really is top-quality winemaking on a grand scale! The stainless steel fermenters tower above in all directions!
The cellar is always my favorite part of a winery tour, with rows of oak barrels lining every wall.
At the end of the tour, I moved into one of the tasting rooms for an educational wine tasting session.
I am not an expert in wine by any stretch of the imagination, so it was really interesting to learn more about wine tasting, winemaking, and the types of characteristics that make up a real quality wine.
Day 3 – Our Winery Tour Experience in Moldova
Our Purcari Winery Tour and Food Experience in Moldova
On the final day of my Moldova wine tours experience, I was picked up from my hotel by Nicolay of Chateau Purcari Winery, located in Ștefan-Vodă about two hours outside of Chișinău. While it was a long drive, there was plenty to look at along the way and it was obvious how beautiful the views would be in the summer when all the trees and fields are green again.
When we arrived at Chateau Purcari we met our winery tour guide, Cornel, who joined us in a glass of sparkling wine and some snacks before we started the tour. We started with a drive around the expansive vineyards themselves, which stretch as far as you see in every direction!
From a viewing platform on the hillside, we could see all the way to neighboring Transnistria.
From there I saw the whole winemaking operation and the cellars, where a combination of methods was being used to age the wine. There were the traditional oak barrels arranged in rows throughout the modern cellar, but there were also giant clay vessels that were being used for the first time as an experimental technique.
The historic cellar was very interesting as well, being located underground and housing only a select number of wines, along with individual private wine collections.
Finally, I met back in the restaurant for an incredible taster session of their fine dining menu.
The selection of dishes using local and international influences was all crafted by the 23-year-old head chef, Victor, who is clearly talented well beyond his years!
Day 4 – Our Road Trip to Transnistria
For my final day in Moldova, I decided to do some exploring on my own. I rented a car from a local car rental company called i-Rent. So I jumped into my very comfortable Toyota Hybrid to drive a little over an hour to reach the city of Tiraspol. This city is located in the “Republic of Transnistria,” which is an unrecognized state between the river Dniester and the Ukrainian border which is officially recognized as part of Moldova. Moldova recognizes Transnistria as an ‘autonomous territorial unit’ meaning that they have their own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency, and even vehicle registration!
To enter Transnistria I had to pass through a military checkpoint with a special permit to be allowed to enter.
Ever since the start of the Covid pandemic, no tourists have been allowed to enter, but I was luckily contacted by the owner of one of the most popular restaurants in Tiraspol (Kumanek Ukrainian Restaurant), Igor, who was able to arrange a special pass for us to enter with my rental car!
The border guard checked my passports and car documents, but it was all straight forward and they were very friendly.
When I arrived I could tell straight away that there is something different about Tiraspol compared to the rest of Moldova. The city still retains much more of its Soviet atmosphere and architecture, in a very well-preserved way. Images and statues of communist-era icons are displayed much more prominently than in neighboring Chisinau.
After exploring for a little while I met up with Igor in a modern cafe near a park who told us more about the city and about his own traveling life. Later I met up with him and his son, Ivan, for a drive around the city in his original 1960s Volga car, which was a luxury soviet car brand at the time!
They took me for lunch and a traditional Soviet-style restaurant, where everything is exactly like it would have been back in the 1970s USSR!
After lunch, Ivan helped me go to the bank to exchange some of the local Transnistrian currency, which is made of plastic and looks like pieces from a board game!
I had a great time with them and my experience of Tiraspol would not have been the same without them!
On the way back I visited the city of Bender to see the Bendery fortress which dates back at least as far as 1408 and is one of the most important historic monuments in Moldova.
It was getting very cold by now so I decided to head back to Chisinau, but I accidentally drove back to the wrong border control. I hadn’t realized that whatever checkpoint you enter through is the one that you have to return by!
I definitely want to come back here and see more of the region!
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