Cricova Underground Winery

Cricova is the winery that put Moldova on the map for visitors: a labyrinth of old limestone quarries, dug out over centuries to build Chisinau and then converted to wine storage in the middle of the twentieth century. The galleries run for well over a hundred kilometres beneath the hills of the village of Cricova, a short drive north of the capital, and the tour takes you down into them in a small electric vehicle because the distances are too long to walk. The underground streets carry the names of the wines stored along them, so you pass Cabernet Street and Merlot Street the way you would pass road signs in a town. The air stays cool and steady all year, which is why the tunnels are so good for ageing sparkling wine, and it is the reason a jacket is the one thing every guide tells you to bring even in July. The cellars are best known for sparkling wine made by the traditional method, with bottles stacked in racks that disappear into the dark, and for private collections and tasting halls that have hosted heads of state over the years. A typical visit lasts a couple of hours and ends in a tasting room where you try several wines, often paired with cheese and local bread. This tour is sold as a guided visit with tasting, and it is one of the easiest ways to see the winery without arranging your own transport.

The case for Cricova is that it combines three things rarely found together: real engineering, real history and a proper tasting. The engineering is the tunnel system itself, an underground grid that feels closer to a mining town than a cellar. The history is the winery's role as a showpiece for the Soviet Union and later for independent Moldova, which is why guides spend time on the stories of famous visitors and the private rooms set aside for them.

The tasting is what most people remember afterward, because Moldovan sparkling wine is excellent value and rarely seen outside the region, so this is a chance to drink something you cannot easily buy at home.

Plan the visit around the weather and your appetite. The cellars are cool and a little damp, so wear a layer and shoes with decent grip. Tours run in English on scheduled slots and often need to be reserved in advance, especially on weekends and in early autumn when the harvest brings crowds.

Tasting packages vary, from a short flight of two or three wines to a longer menu with food, so check what your ticket includes and whether upgrades are available on the day. If you drink, remember that you will be underground and then in a vehicle, and a guided tour with transport solves the driving question for you.

Cricova pairs naturally with other stops. It sits on the road toward Orheiul Vechi, so many day trips combine the two, and it is close enough to Chisinau to fit into a half day if you prefer a lighter schedule. If you only have time for one underground cellar, choose between Cricova and Milestii Mici according to taste: Cricova leans toward sparkling wine and a polished, ceremonial feel, while Milestii Mici is about sheer scale and a record-setting collection.

Many visitors do both over two days and find the contrast the best part of the trip. Whatever you pick, arrive hungry, ask your guide which bottle is worth carrying home and keep a little room in your bag, because the shop at the end is where the best-value bottles are.