Moldovan Mosaics: A Tale of Two Great Wineries at Cricova and Mileștii Mici.
To embark on a wine tasting journey in Moldova is to step into the soul of the nation, where viticulture is not merely an industry but a foundational element of history, identity, and subterranean art. While the country boasts many excellent producers, two names stand as titanic bookends of the Moldovan wine experience: Cricova and Mileștii Mici. Visiting both in a single trip offers a masterclass in contrast, revealing two distinct philosophies—one of regal, cinematic spectacle and the other of awe-inspiring, record-holding scale—both carved into the same ancient limestone.
Cricova: The Underground City of Wine and Statecraft
Your first impression of Cricova is not of a vineyard, but of a grand, almost ministerial, gateway leading down into the earth. Founded in 1952, Cricova is less a winery and more a subterranean metropolis dedicated to wine. Its 120 kilometers of labyrinthine tunnels, located 30 minutes north of Chișinău, were formed by the excavation of limestone used to build the capital. These tunnels, with a constant, perfect temperature of 12-14°C and 95-98% humidity, were transformed into one of the world’s most spectacular wine cellars.
A visit to Cricova on a private guided tour is a highly orchestrated, theatrical experience. You descend deep underground and board a small electric train or are chauffeured in a car through silent, dimly lit streets named after the wines they guard—Cabernet Street, Aligoté Street, Sauvignon Boulevard. This is a living archive. You will glide past the private wine collections of world leaders, most famously the collection of Hermann Göring, and the curated reserves of figures from Yuri Gagarin to Vladimir Putin. The centerpiece for many is the collection of Moldova’s "Golden Collection," including legendary bottles of Cricova sparkling wines and rare vintages that have rested here for decades.
The tasting itself feels diplomatic. It is often held in elegant, vaulted halls or private tasting rooms adorned with chandeliers and heavy wooden furniture. The focus is sharp on Cricova’s flagship method: the Traditional Method sparkling wines. Moldovans rightly claim Cricova as a birthplace of fine șampanie (the local term, protected for their traditional method wines). A tasting will guide you through their exquisite sparkling range, from crisp, apple-fresh bruts to complex, aged prestige cuvées. You will also sample their renowned Negru de Purcari and other fine still wines. The experience is one of polished grandeur, a testament to wine’s role in state ceremony and international prestige.
Mileștii Mici: The Record-Holding Realm of Silent Giants
If Cricova is the elegant, curated city, then Mileștii Mici, just south of Chișinău, is the sprawling, mythical kingdom. Holding the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest wine collection (over 2 million bottles), its scale is beyond comprehension. The "cellar" here is a 200-kilometer network of tunnels, of which 55 kilometers are currently used for storage. Founded in 1969, it feels less like a tour and more like an expedition into the belly of a wine-loving beast.
The journey to Mileștii Mici private guided wine tour and tastings sets the tone. You travel down a central artery wide enough for two trucks to pass, with endless side streets receding into darkness, each lined with thousands of bottles shrouded in cobwebs and grey fungus—a sign of the perfect, undisturbed aging conditions. This is not a curated museum for collectors; it is a functional library of wine on an industrial scale. The sheer visual impact of miles of bottles, stacked in cavities carved directly into the rock, is staggering and humbling.
Tastings at Mileștii Mici are often held in rustic, cavernous grottos or at long tables within the tunnels themselves. The atmosphere is more robust and celebratory. While they produce excellent wines, the true star is the collection itself. The highlight of a tasting is often the opportunity to try a wine from their legendary "Golden Collection"—bottles that have been resting in these perfect conditions since the 1970s and 80s. To sip a well-preserved, decades-old Fetească Neagră or Rara Neagră from its birthplace is a rare privilege. Their range showcases the best of indigenous Moldovan grapes, like the floral Fetească Albă, the honeyed Fetească Regală, and the earthy, complex Fetească Neagră, alongside international varieties.
The Perfect Pairing: Why Visit Both?
To choose between Cricova and Mileștii Mici is to miss the point. They are two essential chapters of the same story.
Cricova offers the narrative and the polish. It is about the story of Moldovan wine on the world stage, about ceremony, history, and the art of sparkling wine. You leave feeling you have attended a state banquet.
Mileștii Mici delivers the sublime and the sensory. It is about awe-inspiring scale, the raw beauty of geology, and the profound quiet of time captured in a bottle. You leave feeling you have discovered a hidden, ancient treasure.
Together, they provide a complete mosaic of Moldovan viniculture: a testament to human ingenuity in harnessing nature’s perfect cellar, a celebration of both indigenous and international grapes, and a poignant symbol of a nation that has safeguarded its liquid history through centuries of turbulence. A day spent tasting at both is more than a tour; it is a descent into the heart of Moldova itself, where every bottle tells a story of the sun above and the cool, dark, patient earth below. Just remember to arrange a driver—the tales you’ll hear, and the wines you’ll taste, are best absorbed without the concern of navigating the road back to Chișinău.