The Gitana Winery is a true family operation, with Petru and Svetlana Dulgher in charge, daughter Iuliana overseeing production and her sister Lilia heading marketing. The Gitana Winery started in 1999, when the Dulgers began renovating the decrepit Tiganca Winery that they bought in Plopi. They realized it would take hard work to create a winner, but they also knew they had a key to wine-making success – already constructed cellars with a constant temperature in summer and winter that were perfect for aging. The Dulgers obtain the grapes for their vintages from the best vineyards in the nearby Leova district. Contending that wine-making technology should only preserve what nature created when it made grapes, Petru and Svetlana decided not to buy enclosed fermenting tanks. Instead, they let their wine ferment in wooden tubs that allow the grapes to breathe.

Nicolae Tronciu takes pride in saying that he operates one of Moldova’s smallest wineries. His idea is to make small batches of excellent vintages that reflect the passion he puts into his product. Founded in 1997, the Tronciu Winery obtains its grapes from the modest-sized, two-hectare vineyard that Nicolae planted.  The Tronciu family likes entertaining visitors with terrific wine and lots of stories. Adding to visitors’ enjoyment is fresh-baked bread that Nicolae’s wife, Galina, makes in an outdoor oven.

Ilie Davidescu laid the foundation for Vinăria din Vale Winery decades ago when he made wine for his family from a handful of grapevines in his yard. His son, Vladimir, turned the hobby into a business 20 years ago, although he stresses that it is still a family winery. Every family member works in the operation, which hires about 500 locals a year to harvest the grapes for the wine. Vinăria din Vale is in one of the most picturesque regions of southern Moldova. Not only does the Davidescu family love having visitors see its operation and taste its wine, but it also eager to show nature buffs the nearby Prutul de Jos Natural Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Two thousand years ago the Romans made wine on the slopes of the Bugeac Plain, where the Vinia Traian operation is located. The winery is in an area where the Moldovan, Ukrainian and Romanian borders meet. The Bugeac Plain is home to the misnamed Trajan’s Wall, earthen fortifications that Germanic tribes – not Romans – erected against local tribes in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The winery, started during the Soviet era in 1975, selects its grapes from the best that growers in the area have to offer. It is also creating its own vineyard. Guests can not only enjoy the operation’s wines, but also local cheeses and traditional Gagauz dishes, such as a hearty stew called kavarma and meat-stuffed cabbage, or sarmale.

The Mihai Sava operation is named for a man who is so passionate about vintage making that he turned his house and yard in the Pojogana Hills into a small winery. The vineyards’ beauty and the operation’s mom-and-pop size and authenticity have been attracting a growing number of visitors. Mihai was so intent on producing some of Moldova’s best vintages that he studied wine making in Anjou, France, in 2011. The owners of small operations there suggested he pair wine making with hosting tourists. Those who visit Mihai’s operation love taking a stroll on the winding paths near the winery. As lovely as the scenery is, the best part of visiting the winery is tasting his products. Bianca is his pride. Mihai produces Moldova’s only bottled version of this vintage, made from grapes with the same name.

Founded in 1897, Comrat Wines is one of southeast Moldova’s oldest vintners. It has weathered tragedies to retain its great wine-making reputation. The first tragedy was the destruction of Comrat’s vineyards during fighting on its grounds in World War I. The second tragedy was there was no attempt to resurrect the wine-making operation for 40 years. The Soviets finally brought it back in the 1960s when they started a collective farm on the property that included grape and wine production. Today, Comrat makes dozens of wine varieties, sells them in its own retail stores across Moldova, and exports them to Europe and Asia. Visitors rave about the combination of Comrat’s wines and the local Gagauz cuisine, a blend of Bulgarian, Turkish and Moldovan fare. Comrat Wines produces both standard and rare vintages, including a Rosu de Comrat 1996 and a sweet white Auriu 1994.

In addition to great wine, Brănești Cellars boasts Moldova’s third-longest storage cellar and an underground restaurant made of stone. The cellar is in a cave more than 70 kilometers long and, in places, 60 meters deep.  The restaurant is part of the Stone Age tourist complex, which includes a hotel, banquet hall, wine spa, tasting rooms and the storage cellar. In addition to stone, the candle-lit restaurant is made of wood and wrought iron. It serves scrumptious traditional Moldovan food. If you want to enjoy Brănești Cellars’ atmosphere and hospitality for more than a day, the area around the winery includes an array of rustic country inns.

ATÚ, located on a road connecting Chisinau International Airport to the capital, is Moldova’s first urban winery. The boutique operation, opened in 2016, specializes in limited editions of 1,000 to 3,000 bottles of each variety it makes. The owner, Victor Vutcarau, believes small production runs ensure every drop is perfect. Guests say the food he serves with his wine is fabulous, too. ATU focuses on wines made from grapes grown exclusively in Moldova, including Viorica, Fetească Albă, Feteasca Neagră and the rare red Codrinschii. Visitors delight in the gigantic murals on the winery’s walls, which artists created when ATU hosted an urban festival. They also are delighted about Victor’s eagerness to talk about ATU’s founding and the qualities of his various vintages.