Incredible Moldova
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What's included
- Activities, excursions or visits included in the program
- Assistance of correspondents or local representatives
- English-speaking guide and / or assisted by local guides in Moldova. Costs associated with this staff
- Transport
- Multi-risk insurance or any other type of individual insurance
- Optional excursions
- Personal expenses
DAY TRIPS
Cricova & Château Vartely
If there is an essential visit to make in Moldova it is of course the visit of the fabulous wine cellars of Cricova, located about twenty minutes from the capital Chisinau, therefore you can convince yourself of our article available here.– Presentation video of the wine producer “Cricova” –
The CHÂTEAU VARTELY winery is a tourist complex, primarily intended for tasting the wine produced on site. The rooms present a collection of wines from around the world and are an opportunity to discover flavors that make you travel and allow you to compare wines from different regions of Moldova and the world. The vineyards visible on the spot produce white wines, while the red wines come from the south of Moldova (Budjak region, land similar to that of the Bordeaux region). The vines cover about 380 hectares and the feet of the youngest have been imported from Europe, especially Italy. The tasting packages will give you a taste of 3 types of wine, from white to red to finish with ice wine, made from frozen bunches of grapes, or cognac also produced by the estate.– Presentation video of the wine producer “Château Vartely” –
- “Moldovan wine routes”
CRICOVA & CHÂTEAU VARTELY
- 11:00 – Meeting in front of your hotel.
- Guided tour, tasting and meal at Château Vartely (50 km from Chisinau).
- Guided tour and tasting at Cricova cellars (13 km).
- 19:00 – Return to Chisinau.
More about Moldova
More about this tour
The essential of this circuit are the cellars of Cricova:
Founded by the USSR in the 1950s, Cricova is a very famous Moldovan producer of dry and sparkling wine located about 15 km north of Chisinau, in Moldova. Most Moldovans cannot imagine New Year’s Eve without a bottle of Cricova.
The Cricova wine cellars are the second largest in Moldova, offering 120 km in total length.
Today, Cricova has several tasting rooms. Some are “presidential” and impressive. In 2002, this place attracted the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who celebrated his 50th birthday there. It is said that there would have largely drawn from the reserve of prestigious vintages which he has on the spot, in particular champagnes.
Multiple legends surround the place like the one which tells that in 1966, the famous Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, totally fascinated by the places, stayed two days in the cellars to visit them.
Cricova harbors remarkable collections of great vintages from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tokaj and other wine regions.
We find for example the infamous private collection of Marshal Göring, the Nazi dignitary passionate about wine and luxury. He had accumulated during the Second World War the best vintages plundered in the territories occupied by the victorious Red Army, this collection had been divided in two: a part returning to Cricova, and the other to Crimea. In the one from Cricova, there are many lots of bottles dating from before 1945, such as a Château Talbot from 1938.
