🍷 Cricova

Cricova is a Moldovan winery near the capital, Chișinău. It is famous for an underground cellar town in old limestone quarries. Limestone for building was once mined from these underground workings, and later the empty galleries were used to store wine.

The cellar is huge: tens of kilometres of streets underground. The streets have names, as in a real town, for example the names of grape varieties. It is always cool and damp here, with an even temperature all year, which is ideal for wine. The winery makes sparkling wines as well as still reds and whites. The cellars also hold collections of bottles, including very old ones.

Cricova is a wine cellar in the most literal sense. Tourists visit it, and tours go by small special vehicles. The place shows how quarries left from stone mining became an important part of Moldova's wine culture. Wine here is tied to the history and pride of the country.