foodwineclick

Moldova is a small country, sandwiched between Romania the Ukraine. Map courtesy of maps-russia.com

Moldova – Ready for Exploration
Are you an adventurous wine traveler, looking to be one of the first visitors into a region? Then you should add Moldova to your list of destinations! Interesting history, culture and of course, wine; much to discover and explore.

Disclosure: I participated in a sponsored press trip to Moldova in August 2019, no other compensation was involved. All opinions expressed are mine.

Map of Moldova showing wine regions and major wineries. Map courtesy of Wine of Moldova at: http://wineofmoldova.com/en/

Where is Moldova and Why Should I be Interested?
Moldova is a small country with a population of 3.5 Million people. Moldova has one of the highest density of vineyards as a percentage of total land of any country in the world. They have a long history of producing wine and were well known in prior centuries in the courts of both Russia and England. During the Soviet era, Moldova became a part of the Soviet Union and all privately owned land and companies were taken over by the state. Production was shifted to serve the workers, so quantity was emphasized and quality was not a major consideration. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Moldova’s vineyards and wineries were returned to private ownership, but it was a long, difficult road back to prosperity.

Today, Moldova’s wines have returned to earn a place in the international wine scene. In 2013, Moldova’s National Office of Wine and Vine and the partner wineries took on the challenge of establishing European approved protected geographical indications (PGI) labeling for the three major wine regions. Now there are plenty of IGT labeled wines available with efforts now to establish Designated Origin (DO) labeling as approved by European authorities.

Chișinău is the Capital and largest city in Moldova and makes a great central base for exploring.

(click on any photo below to start a slide show, hit escape to return to the post)

The Sala de Degustare of Wine.md – their wine bar.

Snejana, the owner of the bar welcomed us and made sure we felt at home

There are not one but two estates in Moldova who have larger wine caves than those found in the Champagne region of France. Literally hundreds of kilometers of tunnels carved in the limestone

Perfect conditions for storing wine, and they can store a LOT!

The Cricova winery is built entirely underground, with some over-the-top themed tasting rooms

Castel Mimi is an imposing facility. Turned into a wine factory in the Soviet era, it has since been restored to its’ former glory.

Beautiful facade of Castel Mimi

Chateau Purcari is out in the countryside

In operation since 1827, Chateau Purcari is the largest producer in Moldova today

State of the art winemaking equipment in the winery at Chateau Purcari

Newly built, but very traditionally styled wine tourism village at Asconi Winery

Traditional cellars at Asconi

We were treated to a barrel tasting at Asconi winery

Not all is tradition. Atu is a new urban winery concept, showing the way to the future.

Atu is an example of the growing segment of small wineries in the country

Moldova Wineries – Modern and Ready to Welcome you
During our week we visited several of the larger wineries, a smaller winery and two wine bars. Chișinău is centrally located to the three wine regions, so it made perfect sense to make it our home base. The wineries we visited were all quite modern with state of the art equipment. The wines were clean and generally international in style, that is to say relatively ripe and fruit forward. This suits Moldova’s current major customers well. I was encouraged to find out there is a growing group of small producers with a variety of styles.

We opened our week with a large tasting of 40+ wineries from all over the country. Exhausting but a nice introduction

Cricova winery is justifiably proud of their many sparkling wines

Wines of all types are made in Moldova.

The largest volume of wines are made from international varieties including Chardonnay…

Malbec…

Familiar grapes are the majority in the vineyards today.

Outlawed during the Soviet era, local varieties are making a strong comback

Winemaking students at the University vinified Feteasca Neagra grapes from all three wine regions of Moldova. Vinifications were identical and the wines were not aged in oak, so we could compare the differences between place of origin. Fascinating!

Feteasca Alba and Viorica (left) are among the growing trend

Sparkling wines are entirely possible using the native varieties

Feteasca Neagra and Rara Neagra continue to grow in popularity and plantings

Let’s not forget, dessert wines and spirits are also made from Moldova grapes.

Wines of Moldova – Familiar and Undiscovered
The large majority of grapes planted today are international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Unfortunately, the native grapes in the region were outlawed during the Soviet era. Winegrowers secretly kept some vines in their private plots. Today, winegrowers see the native varieties as an important way to distinguish Moldovan wines on the international stage, so they are working at increasing the acreage of the local grapes.  Look for Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, and Viorica (a new grape) for whites, Feteasca Neagra and Rara Neagra for red. These grapes are the future of Moldovan wines.

The City Park hotel is located on a charming and quiet pedestrian street in Chișinău

Lively cafes stay open late

Rooftop cottage at Chateau Purcari

You can look out over the vineyards at Chateau Purcari

Asconi cottages are newly built but made with traditional style and materials

Comfortable and simple

Settle into the village life at Asconi

Castel Mimi bungalows are elegant with a beautiful view of the large courtyard

A bungalow at Castel Mimi

The bungalows are accompanied by a beautiful pool and soon to be opened spa. Plus, meals are available at the restaurant.

Where to Stay?
As our group was visiting all the wine regions, we stayed in Chișinău due to its’ central location. The City Hotel was very nice and conveniently located on a pedestrian street. The wineries in Moldova are working very diligently to create opportunities for luxury wine tourism out by the vineyards. Three wineries we visited have new lodging on site for guests which ranges from artfully executed traditional style to modern luxe accomodations. Worth trying and they seemed an excellent value for the offerings.

There are several wine bars in Chisinau, some serve delicious food as well

The restaurant at Castel Mimi can cater to small and large groups.

Chateau Purcari serves internationally styled cuisine

A Moldovan charcuterie board.

Roasted peppers, eggplant puree and a fresh tasting tomato relish. Yum!

My favorite food discovery on the trip. This is a plăcintă, a dough filled with a number of different fillings from cabbage to cheese to potatoes. Potato filled dough may not sound interesting, but you need to try it!

The restaurant at Asconi winery is traditionally themed.

Family-style serving at Asconi winery.

Our group’s final dinner in Chișinău was at the very traditional Roata Vremii restaurant, a “don’t miss” experience.

Visit Moldova family history at Roata Vremii before enjoying your traditional meal.

Where to Eat?
As a large European city, Chișinău has a wide variety of cuisines represented. We enjoyed both modern and traditional dishes from casual to elegant while visiting. The winery restaurants were an integral part of their developing wine tourism business.

Links to Resources, Enotourism, Lodging and Wineries
Wine of Moldova has created an extensive  Enoturism guide . This guide should be your first acquisition in researching a visit. You’ll find information on the region, a listing of all the tourism events in a year, and listings for many individual participating wineries with details on visits and links to their websites. There’s also an area on general tourism with historic and natural sites to visit as well as accomodations.  There’s even a listing of wine bars in Chișinău.

Just in case you’re available, you might want to jump into the National Wine Day in Chișinău, coming up on Oct. 5-6, 2019! This is a huge festival with virtually all the wineries coming to Chișinău for a weekend of events and tastings.

If you’d like to dive deep into the wines of the region,  Caroline Gilby, MW has written an excellent book on The Wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova. She has been involved with the region for many years and provides both history and all the details you might want to know as a wine enthusiast.

My Memorable Experiences
There is so much to discover in Moldova and I’m sure you’ll find your favorites. These were some of my highlights on the trip:

• The City Park Hotel in Chisinau. Comfortable, modern, situated on a pedestrian street. An excellent hub for exploration
• Castel Mimi winery has a fascinating history especially during the Soviet era and afterwards. Elegant bungalows available complete with beautiful swimming pool and soon-to-open spa.
• Château Purcari winery is the largest winery in Moldova today and is the winery you’re most likely to be able to procure currently in your home country. Modern facilities with cool rooftops cottages and elegant dining.
• Asconi Winery – a family business founded in 1994. The wines are modern, the decor and lodging are delightfully traditional.
• Atu winery – a new urban winery, representing a view forward in Moldovan wines
• Equinox winery – we didn’t visit this small winery, but I was so impressed with their wines when we had the opportunity to taste. I will definitely schedule a visit here on a future trip!
• Wine.MD has two locations, one being a shop and another (where we visited) being a comfortable wine bar with delicious food. Much more than your typical wine bar!
• Vinoteca Invino wine bar has a wide variety of wines and sommelier trained staff to guide you through tasting.
• Roata Vremii is a traditional restaurant housed in a traditional home with multiple areas arranged as a museum to historic village life in Moldova. Charming!

Wine of Moldova Enoturism Guide

Dr. Georghe Arpentin welcomed us to Moldova and his team welcomes you!