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I've been curious about Moldovan wines for a while, especially after I learned that the largest and biggest wine cellars are situated not in France as one might have guessed but here.
So one might ask how did this happen?
Moldova has been growing wines according to some history buffs around 7000BC so I will take their word for it.
But let's fast forward to 1952 when Stalin created the Cricova winery which focused on mass production of wine for Russia. But why create cellars when you already have old limestones mines full of underground tunnels which have the perfect temperature and humidity to store wine naturally. So this is how they started what are now some of the largest collections and largest cellars in the world.
Both Cricova and Milesti Mici have tours to their underground cellars which depending on the package you get you can also have a wine tasting session. These two wineries are a bit of tourist traps but worth going just for the experience.
Here are some photos of Cricova, including a 1902 wine bottle from Jerusalem which is the only one of such bottles in the world.
Cricova also does sparkling wine in the traditional champagne method manually and one can see the long row of bottles which are manually turned everyday so they ferment and create their okish sparkling wine.
As for the rest of the wines I tasted, let's just say I tasted wine.
Milestici Mici has the guineas world record for number of bottles stored and their collection goes back to bottles from the 1970s, but the majority is post 1986 as in 1985 Gorbachev prohibited alcohol across Russia and ordered all cellars to be destroyed due to the riding alcoholism in the Motherland. Obviously as any winemaker would have done, they never destroyed everything and they hid quite a bit. Hence they still have a very large collection.
So I decided I needed to taste one of these old wines. A 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon. Let's first also share fome of the other wines that I tasted on this trip
The photos above include a tasting at Asconi winery as well.
What was common at every winery I went to is that the staff is Clueless about their wines and asking them anything more than is this red or white or dry vs sweet is too much. They have leaps to go if they want to put Moldova on the wine map.
But you might be wondering about the 1986 Cab Sav.....I invite you to imagine what an old shoe box stored in an mouldy attic would taste like. Disgusting was an understatement. Horrible nose, zero body, felt like watered down wine. These bottles look cool as souvenirs but calling them wine is just not right.
So you might wonder is Moldovan wine any good? Actually it is. You just need to avoid the cheap mass produced stuff (which sadly is mostly what they export) but once you start looking at their smaller wineries and quality wines they have amazing wines and for relatively very good value for money. The Divus wine on the photo was a great example of this. A superb wine.
Also they are bringing back some moldovan grape varietals as fetesca neagra, rara neagra and others which are worth trying.
For the best wine tastings, just head to the Carpe Diem wine store and bar where the young fellow there is studying to be a sommelier and actually knows his shit.
If you think all I did was drink wine??? There a city to be explored in between tastings.
The cathedral from the central park, it's pedestrian street, a memorial for the Jewish community that was exterminated in the holocaust and a typical American style bar.
As any city, it has its market in which they weren't very friendly when one asked if one can take their photo. Many of the old babushkas probably still think I'm a Russian spy or something.
Below is also the facade of what used to be the Jewish synagogue of Chisiniau which will be redone/remodeled.
Chisiniau had a population of around 50,000 Jews before the Holocaust out of 110,000 people in the whole city so the Jewish prescence was quite important. Today there has been a renewal of the community with almost 15,000 people according to some.
The little statues are called the lovers and they are in the main pedestrian street.
There's also the Alexander Pushkin house and museum as the famous poet was exiled to Moldova at some point in his life. The museum is just a house and no explanations at all so not really a sight worth going to.
What was also quite interesting in multiple conversations was Moldovans take on the Ukraine war, as some people support Russia and others Ukraine, but the general belief is that Russia was going to invade Ukraine and conquer them in weeks and Moldova was next (especially as they don't really have an army) so ove the last two years the support for Ukraine has grown as they literally are stopping Russia from also going and conquering Moldova.
To finish, I found two really cool places. One is a cherry liquor bar where that's all they serve and it was quite good. Piana Vyshnia. And not only there drink is tasty but the small bar is really cool
Last, a MUST is dinner at Fuior. This was a highlight as they have taken traditional Moldovan recepies and given them a modern twist. It's probably the best place in Chisiniau and the food was phenomenal. Some of the best I've had in a long time.
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