Milestii Mici Winery

Milestii Mici is the cellar visitors mention when they say Moldova has the biggest wine collection in the world. Built into former limestone mines in the village of Milestii Mici, a short drive south of Chisinau, it holds a vast stock of bottles in tunnels long enough that cars and small tour vehicles drive along them. The scale is the attraction: you travel down into the galleries, pass street after street of racks and barrels, and stop at points where the guide explains how the collection was assembled and why the stable underground temperature is ideal for ageing. The cellar is known for its record-setting reserve and for the way it treats wine as a collection rather than only a product, so you will see bottles laid down for decades, as well as wine that is still being aged for release. The tour ends in a tasting hall where you sample a selection of wines, usually a mix of whites, reds and sometimes a dessert style, with snacks to go with them. This product is a guided tour that includes the tasting, which makes it a straightforward choice if you want one proper winery stop without much planning.

What sets Milestii Mici apart is the sense of size. Cricova feels like a ceremonial town under the ground, but Milestii Mici feels like a warehouse district, with long straight galleries and the quiet efficiency of a place that stores a very large number of bottles. Guides usually describe the collection as a record holder, and the story of how it was built up over decades is part of the tour.

The tasting is a good introduction to Moldovan grape varieties, including local varieties you may not know, such as Feteasca and Rara Neagra, alongside international grapes like Cabernet and Merlot.

Practical points matter here. The cellar temperature is cool throughout the year, so layers are essential. The surface of the tunnels can be uneven in places, and you will be in a vehicle for much of the tour, but you should still wear closed shoes. English tours run at set times and sell out in busy periods, so reserve early.

If you plan to taste more than a sip, let someone else drive, and consider booking a tour with a driver so that you can enjoy the pairings. Children are welcome on the underground ride in many tours, though the tasting itself is for adults.

Milestii Mici combines well with a Chisinau city walk, because the winery is close to the capital and the drive back fits into a half day. If you are building a two-day itinerary, put Milestii Mici on one day and Cricova on another so you can compare the two. Many visitors also pair it with a visit to the Manuc Bei Mansion area or a farmhouse lunch.

Bring cash for small purchases, because the shop sells bottles that are hard to find outside Moldova, and ask your guide to point you to a bottle with age on it. A good older red is one of the best souvenirs you can bring home from the country.