Cricova Winery: An Underground Wine City

Cricova Winery, located just outside Chisinau, is more than just a winery; it's an underground city dedicated to the art of winemaking. Founded in 1952 within former limestone mines, the winery boasts over 120 kilometers of tunnels, creating a unique environment for storing and aging wine. These tunnels, maintained at a constant temperature of 12-14°C and high humidity, provide ideal conditions for wine maturation.Visitors can explore this subterranean world on guided tours, traveling through streets named after the wines they store, such as Cabernet, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. The tour often includes a visit to the sparkling wine production section, where Cricova produces sparkling wines using the traditional French method, 'Methode Champenoise'. This process involves secondary fermentation in the bottle, a technique purportedly invented by Dom Pierre Perignon. Cricova also produces a unique sparkling red wine from Cabernet Sauvignon stocks.The winery houses a remarkable collection of over 1.3 million bottles, including rare vintages dating back to 1902. The National Oenotec, Cricova's wine collection, includes unique exhibits like the 'Jerusalem of Easter' vintage. The cellars also hold personal wine collections of famous visitors like Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin.Cricova is not only a place for wine production and storage but also a cultural landmark. The underground complex features tasting rooms, a museum showcasing the history of winemaking, and even an underground church opened in 2019. Recognized as a National Cultural Heritage of Moldova, Cricova stands as a testament to the country's rich winemaking tradition.