Ilie Gogu’s family operation produces small batches of top-quality vintages.
The Gogu Winery’s vineyards are in Moldova’s best wine-growing area – the Ștefan Vodă region in the country’s southeast.
The Gogu family began producing wine four generations ago, but they realized their dream of having their own label only in 2014, when Ilie officially registered the operation’s name.
One reason the Gogu Winery produces such excellent vintages is that Ilie knows every nuance of wine-making technology.
Although the company expands its vineyards each year, it remains committed to producing only top-quality elite wines.
Gogu Winery
Museum of the Bottle
You get a hint of what this museum is about before you enter because the building is shaped like a giant bottle. Once inside, you’ll know your hunch was right. The museum contains more than 20,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages from more than 170 countries. You’d be right if you guessed that its owner, Grigorii Corzun, is a character. He built the museum in the courtyard of his parents’ home. The courtyard also includes an inn and gazebo-like outdoor restaurant nooks. Corzun would be more than happy to let you taste his personal brandy, which carries the anglicized name Gregory Korzun Cognac. Some of it has aged more than six decades.
Tiraspol Tourist Center
If you’ve crossed the Dniester River into Transnistria seeking adventure, but you’re not sure where to find it, go see the folks at the Tiraspol Tourist Information Center on 135 Sovietskaya Street. Let them know what your interests are — sightseeing, culture, food, crafts, or whatever — and they will help you work out an itinerary. You will discover how eager they are to help you enjoy an unforgettable visit to one of the last vestiges of the old Soviet Union.
Karaman House
When you enter the Karaman House Restaurant, you get the idea you are in a country home built a century ago. And the cooking matches the atmosphere. It consists of traditional Moldovan dishes that are hearty and scrumptious. If you want to learn how to make some, the staff will teach you. To gain an additional feel for local country life, you can help tend gardens. To top off your visit, try a relaxing boat ride on the Dniester River.
Kumanek Restaurant
Guests get the feeling they will have a great experience at the Kumanek Restaurant before they even enter because of the atmosphere: It looks like a lodge or rustic country home. The main fare is traditional Ukrainian, which the chefs pour their soul into. Guests are astonished at how huge the menu is, with a range of fresh meat, fish, vegetables, soups and breads. One dish you shouldn’t miss is sarmale, cabbage stuffed with pork, tomatoes and sauerkraut cooked in a pot. Talk about a hearty meal!
Noul Neamt Monastery
One of the joys of touring the Noul Neamt Monastery is that the monks love sharing their ancient crafts-making skills with visitors. The complex is an offshoot of the Neamt Monastery in Romania, so its spiritual traditions are a mixture of Romanian and Slavic. The Noul Neamt has an array of features that make it more intriguing than many Moldovan monasteries. It boasts four churches, an impressive library and a museum. It also has workshops for creating icons – paintings of Jesus or the saints – and sculpture. And it has a carpentry workroom. All are open to guests.
Tighina Fortress
Also called Bender Fortress, Transnistrian region buffer zone The Ottomans built the fortress after Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the area in 1538. Also called the Tighina Fortress, it was one of medieval and Renaissance Moldova’s most important landmarks. Sweden’s King Charles XII took refuge in the area after the Russians defeated his forces in the Battle of Poltova in 1709. Ottoman soldiers, trying to drive Charles from the area, fought several skirmishes with him. One of the fortress’s legends is that Charles’ crown is hidden in a dungeon there. Another legend is that the golden carriage of Ukrainian General Ivan Mazepa, who stopped at the complex, is hidden in the fortress. For those interested in old-time warfare, the fort contains a torture chamber and museum.
Naslavcea’s spectacular river views
Naslavcea, on Moldova’s northern border, offers the country’s most spectacular views of the Dniester River. The best vantage points are the tops of steep emerald hills rising from the riverbank. The area contains what Moldovans call the Heart of the Dniester — an island in the river shaped like a heart. Nature is incredible away from the river, too. In fact many people call this location Moldova’s Switzerland. So be sure to explore the village’s surroundings, which include the Nagoryan Caves, where locals hid when the Tatars invaded. You’ll also find manmade gems in the area, such as a centuries-old water mill.
Emil Racovita (Criva) Cave – one of the world’s biggest
The Criva Cave is an awe-inspiring reminder of nature’s handiwork, starting with its length of 89,000 meters — or more than 55 miles – on several levels. It is the world’s third-largest cave carved out of gypsum, a sulfite mineral, and the world’s 26th-largest cave over-all. Its chambers range from five to 50 meters – or 150 feet – deep. Another amazing feature is the cave’s 20 underground lakes. The cave’s walls come in many colors, and it boasts stunning stalagmites and stalactites. It was discovered by accident in 1959 when quarry workers were using explosives to dislodge chunks of gypsum, which is used for construction and in fertilizer.