These are the two names that always come up first when the talk turns to Moldovan wine, and both are underground cities rather than cellars. If you only have time for one visit, here is how they differ and how to choose.
Cricova: the city beneath the ground
Fifteen kilometres north of Chișinău, Cricova occupies a former limestone mine converted into more than 120 km of galleries, at a depth of around 80 metres. The stone quarried here was used to build the city, and from the 1950s the spaces became a winery. The underground streets are named after grape varieties — Cabernet, Pinot — and you travel along them by car or on a small train.
Old and rare collections are kept here, and the tours are well organised, with tasting rooms carved into the rock. This is the more touristic option and the easier one to book, well suited to a first visit.
Mileștii Mici: the world record
Further south, in the Ialoveni district, Mileștii Mici holds the Guinness record for the largest wine collection in the world — over two million bottles, in galleries running for around 200 km, only part of which are in use. The atmosphere is different: quieter, vaster, with endless rows of bottles in half-light. The emphasis falls on collection reds, some of them decades old.
What a visit includes
At both, tours run by appointment and last around two hours, with a tasting at the end. You can choose different packages, depending on the number and quality of the wines tasted. Many also include lunch if you book in advance.
How to choose
- Want a well-organised tour, with stories and a comfortable tasting? Cricova.
- Want the sense of sheer scale and the world record? Mileștii Mici.
- Have half a day? Either one is enough; both require an appointment.
Practical tips
Whichever you choose, take a jacket — it is always 12-14 degrees down there. Do not drive if you are tasting: choose a tour with transport included or a driver. The best time to visit is autumn, around National Wine Day, when the wineries are at their busiest. More on the country's wineries in the Wineries and Wines section.
Other wineries nearby
If you have developed a taste for the underground, there are more options around Chișinău. Castel Mimi, at Bulboaca, adds striking architecture and a good restaurant; Asconi offers tastings in a rustic setting; and to the south-east, Purcari is worth the longer drive for its award-winning wines. Any of them combines easily with Cricova or Mileștii Mici on a wine weekend based in the capital. Ask at each winery for their signature wines — every one has a story and a variety it takes pride in.
