Discover Moldova's vibrant viticulture regions

When it comes to wine, snifter-sized Moldova packs a barrel-sized punch. Sandwiched between the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea on the eastern edge of Europe, this is a country with an ancient winemaking tradition that’s experienced a recent boom in independent wineries offering vineyard tours, wine tastings, excellent restaurants and unique accommodation. Moldova's wines are becoming increasingly well recognised internationally, with a local vintage winning Best Red Wine at Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles 2022. See the world’s largest collection of wine, sleep in a wine barrel and sip your way through the many wine varieties on offer in Moldova’s three winemaking regions — Codru, Valul lui Traian and Ștefan Vodă.

Codru

The largest of Moldova’s wine regions, Codru forms a belt across the midriff of the country and is known for producing wonderfully fresh and floral white wines, including chardonnays, rieslings and sauvignon blancs. The temperate climate, the rolling countryside and the limestone-rich terroir draws favourable comparisons with Burgundy in France. For visitors, there are vineyard tours and wine-tasting experiences aplenty — but there are also ways to have more up-close-and-personal encounters with the local produce.

At Asconi Winery, an overnight stay means sleeping in a traditional, thatched-roof cottage and having your own garden-sized vineyard to tend to. Meanwhile, at Milesti Mici, there’s a chance to explore the largest wine collection in the world — descend into a 125-mile-long labyrinth of tunnels hewn from the limestone rock to discover two million bottles (and counting) stacked from floor to ceiling.

The Codru region is also home to the culture-crammed capital Chişinău, which has museums, monuments and sprawling parks and botanical gardens, as well as a thriving food scene. Each year in the first weekend of October, Chişinău hosts National Wine Day celebrations, with wine tastings, masterclasses, craft workshops and an artistic programme featuring various local performers.

Valul lui Traian

Encompassing the southern reaches of Moldova, the Valul lui Traian wine region is mostly about big, bold and fruity red wines — from merlots and malbecs to local fetească neagrăs — although white wines like muscats, as well as sparkling whites and rosés, are also produced there. All the grape varieties in the region benefit from the rich black soil and high temperatures, offset by shade from the Tigheci Forests and winds from the Black Sea.

Discover the countryside by bike on the newly created Southern Moldova cycling routes, stopping along the way to enjoy the many wine experiences on offer. The cycling routes connect some of the region’s most respected wineries and orchards with some of its greatest natural sights — such as the beautiful Lake Beleu, part of the Lower Prut UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and an important stop for migrating birds. Bicycles can be hired at several wineries and rural B&Bs.

Ștefan Vodă

It may be the smallest wine region in Moldova, but Ștefan Vodă has some of the country’s most outstanding wineries. Located in the southeast of the country, where the clay soil is iron rich, the region has been recognised since ancient times for its red wines, made with grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon, pinot gris and rara neagră. More recently, the local white wines have also gained a reputation for their distinctly fruity, mineral tastes.

Ștefan Vodă is also home to some of Moldova’s most memorable wine-tourism experiences. At Chateau Purcari, the country’s oldest winery, guests can sleep overnight in a giant wine barrel, waking to spectacular sunrise views across the vineyards. Stick around to taste their Negru de Purcari red wine. At nearby Et Cetera Winery, visitors can sample a wide variety of regional, locally sourced and often wine-heavy dishes in the superb restaurant — such as rabbit stewed in white wine and marinated trout with mussel sauce. For dessert, opt for the plăcintăs, a traditional apple- or cheese-filled pastry-cake baked by the owners’ mother.

After sampling Ștefan Vodă’s specialities, pay a visit to the one-of-a-kind Monastery Acoperământul Maicii Domnului (Assumption of Our Lady Church) in Căușeni. It was constructed partially below ground level, adhering to an Ottoman rule of the time that no church should be built higher than a mosque.