{"id":19242,"date":"2023-10-18T12:04:55","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T10:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moldova.travel\/?page_id=19242"},"modified":"2024-07-04T11:29:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T09:29:04","slug":"wine-holidays","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/moldova.travel\/en\/wine-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Moldovan Winery Experiences: Plan Your Wine Tasting Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Moldova’s millennia-old wine heritage combined with the country’s strong tradition of hospitality makes Moldova a truly unique wine holiday destination, one that we are sure will surprise you in many ways and leave you telling stories of all the people you met along the way. Moldovan wine<\/a> still plays a very important role in local culture and life today, and the growing number of wineries now offering wine tasting tours, accommodation and restaurants provide you with even more options to immerse yourself in Moldova’s wine culture, cuisine and hospitality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent developments in Moldova’s wine sector, including bring back more Moldovan native grape varietals<\/a>, the rise of independent winemakers and a growing number of annual wine festivals like the Moldovan National Wine Days<\/a>, mean that it’s also an exciting time to embark on a wine tasting holiday in Moldova. This has been accompanied by investments in wine tourism so that there are now six wineries offering accommodation, 14 wineries with restaurants offering traditional Moldovan food<\/a> and 40 wineries offering wine tours and wine tasting. Each of these wineries is unique, as is the experience wine tasting or staying there, so you’ll be sure to a personalized and different experience each place you go. You may even have the winery founder or winemaker lead you in your wine tasting tour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While an opportunity to taste quality Moldovan wines, especially local varietals like Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, and Viorica, is worth the trip to Moldova alone, a wine tasting holiday here includes so much more. The Council of Europe \u201cIter Vitis\u201d Wine Routes<\/a> of Moldova combine the best of Moldovan wine with cultural heritage with recommended stops at wineries and nearby monasteries, nature reserves, fortresses and other attractions. You can see and download the Wine Routes of Moldova map below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Note: Wine tours and tastings need to be reserved in advance<\/strong>. As many of the wineries are small with limited staff, there is no guarantee that someone will be available to give a tour if someone shows up without a reservation. Most wineries now take online bookings so it is easy to book your wine tasting tour online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that you can easily plan your wine holiday to Moldova, here are of the most unique and memorable winery and travel experiences in in each wine region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unique Moldovan wine holiday experiences in the Codru wine region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Codru is located in central Moldova<\/a> and is the biggest of Moldova\u2019s wine regions in terms of geography (60,000 hectares) and also the number of wineries. The Codru wine region<\/a> is famous for its high-quality white and sparkling wines that are known for their fresh, floral and fruity notes. As Codru surrounds Chisinau<\/a>, many of its wineries are a located within an hour or an easy day trip from Moldova’s capital city. However, for a more complete and deep wine holiday experience, we encourage you to take your time and spend the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 23 Moldovan wineries in the Codru wine region that offer wine tourism activities, from wine tasting to accommodation and food services. You can explore them all, as well as nearby historical and cultural attractions, within three to four days on the official Council of Europe’s Iter Vitis Codru Wine Route<\/a>. Here are some of the wine tasting holiday highlights from Codru wine region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrate traditional Moldovan village life and cuisine at Asconi Winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stay in your own Moldovan village house<\/a> at Asconi Winery<\/a>. Each of the twelve country houses is built using traditional methods and materials and are decorated with handmade rugs and other features from nearby villages so as to preserve the local cultural heritage. There are also different wine tasting tours<\/a> on offer, including one with seven different wine tastings, as well as two restaurants. The Asconi Restaurant is famous for its pl\u0103cint\u0103 <\/em>(traditional stuffed pastry) and other Moldovan dishes while the Sol Negru Restaurant has a Balkan twist with lots of shared plates. See all this and more in this Asconi Winery video<\/a> and 360-degree tour<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Enjoy luxury, opera and wine at Castel Mimi winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Located just outside Chisinau in the village of Bulboaca, Castel Mimi<\/a> winery offers a combination of luxury, cultural and musical events, high end restaurants and, of course, and quality wines. During Ros\u00e9 Day or VinOpera festivals, a special train takes guests directly from Chisinau to Castel Mimi to celebrate wine and opera in the shadows of the dramatic winery castle and vast gardens. The winery offers modern 5-star bungalow accommodation <\/a>with a \u201cWine Spa\u201d opening soon together with a fine dining White Owl Restaurant <\/a>with both Moldovan and French Provencal dishes. Explore Castel Mimi in this 360-degree virtual tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn the legend of Moldovan wine at Chateau Vartely winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chateau Vartely<\/a> located within an hour of Chisinau takes you on a journey through Moldova’s millennia-old wine heritage through an award winning immersive light and video projection <\/strong>onto barrels in the winery\u2019s cellars. This is part of the standard Chateau Vartely wine tour that then has several options for wine tasting and food pairing experiences<\/a>. For the full experience, spend the night in one of the winery\u2019s three villas<\/a>. Each one has been designed to highlight the different characteristics of each region of Moldova. You can choose to stay in a villa representing the northern, central or southern part of the country and enjoy traditional Moldovan dishes in their restaurant. Explore more in this 360-degree virtual tour<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Walk through the highest elevation vineyards in Moldova at Crama Mircesti winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The founder and winemaker, Arcadie Fosnea, returned to Moldova years ago after working in German wineries to renovate an old manor house in his home village of Mircesti to turn it into a small, independent winery now called Crama Mircesti<\/a>. His vineyards have the highest elevation in the country, giving both his white and red wines a unique taste and strong character. A couple of years, Crama Mircesti added a small hotel and restaurant so people can spend more time in the peaceful countryside there to enjoy tasting wines paired with hearty traditional dishes. There are also opportunities to walk through the nearby vineyards or to take a hike from the winery<\/a> up to a former Soviet radar and meteorological station with views over the valley. Explore the winery further in this video<\/a> and 360-degree virtual tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the largest wine collection in the world at Milesti Mici winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Milesti Mici winery<\/a> was registered in the Guiness Book of World Records years ago as having the largest wine collection in the world, it was when it had \u201conly\u201d 1.5 million bottles. Currently, Milesti Mici’s Golden Collection <\/a>is at around 2+ million bottles and keeps growing each year. You can get a glimpse of this impressive wine collection by exploring the labyrinth of underground limestone tunnels with bottles of wine stacked from floor to ceiling (of 200km they currently use around 55km for production and storing wine). There is even a special hidden room that was built during the Soviet Union that was used to hide valuable Moldovan wine from being destroyed during Mikhail Gorbachev\u2019s anti-alcohol campaign of the late 1980s. Wine tour<\/a> options include visits to the underground tunnels as well as wine tasting and pairing experiences, as well as a free gift of Milesti Mici wine so you can enjoy some of their wine later. <\/strong>Learn more in this 360-degree tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the underground wine city at Cricova Winery <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cricova Winery<\/a> is another truly unique wine tasting experience just outside Chisinau with its 120 km of underground limestone tunnels that serve as the perfect storage place for wine due to its climate and temperature. Cricova Winery is most famous for its sparkling wines and uses seven kilometers of its tunnels for producing and storing these sparkling wines. Wine tasting tours<\/a> will take by electronic vehicle you through a portion of these tunnels and wine collections where you may even get a glimpse of the private collections of leaders from around the world. Explore more in this 360-degree virtual tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other places to visit and things to do in the Codru wine region<\/h3>\n\n\n\n