EXCLUSIVE WINE & GASTRO TRIP IN MOLDOVA

4 days / 3 nights
View photos


DISCOVERING GOOD FLAVOURS IN MOLDOVA!

Enjoy a wine, culinary and cultural experience in Moldova and let yourself discover the tasty traditional dishes from Moldovan cuisine, marvelous Moldovan wines at Cricova (one of the largest wine cellars in the world reaching 120 km), Asconi and Castel Mimi wineries. In Tiraspol you will be acquainted with the taste of 5-10 years old spirits at Kvint wine and brandy factory and taste one of the most expensive culinary delights – black caviar accompanied with a glass of brut sparkling wine or vodka at Aquatir Sturgeon Complex. While visiting Castel Mimi you will be amazed by the beauty of the castle, which is currently listed among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world of wine.


Highlights

Asconi winery

View

Tighina Fortress

View

Aquatir Sturgeon Farm

View

Tiraspol city

View

Kvint wine and brandy...

View

Chisinau city

View

Orheiul Vechi - a 40...

View

Cricova Underground Wine...

View

Chisinau Shopping

View

Castel Mimi winery

View

 

Itinerary A day-by-day plan to guide your journey. Download PDF

Day 1: Arrival, visit of Asconi winery and Chisinau city tour

Chisinau - Puhoi - Chisinau

On arrival at Chisinau International Airport, you will be transferred to Puhoi village where you will enjoy an excursion, wine tasting and dinner at Asconi winery. This is a family-owned winery, whose foundation is a long-standing tradition and experience in the production of Moldovan wine. The winery achieved a lot due to modern wine making technologies. Nowadays at Asconi estate European varieties are grown, but special attention is paid to indigenous varieties such as Rara Neagra, Feteasca, etc. Visitors love this winery for its rustic style and village atmosphere, for its excellent wines and traditional Moldovan food, prepared from local products by the village's most skilled cooks.

After dinner, you will be transferred to Chisinau where you check in at the hotel and have free time in the city.



HIGHLIGHTS: Asconi winery

Day 2: Caviar and brandy tasting in Tiraspol

Chisinau – Tighina – Tiraspol – Chisinau

In the morning, you will discover Tighina Fortress located in Tighina town and built in the 15th century by the prince of Moldova, Stephen the Great. Originally built as a small wooden fort, it was later fortified in stone by the prince of Moldova, Petru Rares. Occupied by the Ottomans in 1538 (in a campaign lead by the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent), the fort was strengthened in 1541 and became the center of an Ottoman "raya" (in which were included the surrounding Moldavian villages). In the 18th century, the fort was strengthened by Moldovan craftsmen under the direct supervision of Dimitrie Cantemir. Tighina Fortress is an architectural ensemble of irregular quadrilateral plan, surrounded by wide walls, 2-3 meters thick, made of limestone and brick.

Next, you will be transferred to Tiraspol where you will visit Aquatir Sturgeon Complex, one of the largest hatcheries in Europe. The complex is equipped with the latest technologies and the fish can reach the size of a man. You will get the chance to taste one of the most expensive culinary delights – black caviar accompanied with a glass of brut sparkling wine or vodka.

In the afternoon, you will have lunch at a restaurant in Tiraspol.

After lunch, you will have a Panoramic tour in Tiraspol - capital of Transnistria. You will have the opportunity to travel in time back to USSR. You will start by visiting the monument of Vladimir Lenin and tanks left from the Second World War. The city seems to be a ghost of the Soviet past.

In the evening, you will discover Kvint wine and brandy factory where harmony, refinement and tradition underlie the oldest and most genuine spirits. Here you will be acquainted with the taste of 5-10 years old spirits that will certainly impress you. The professional sommelier and specialist in quality of Kvint factory will lead the tasting process.

After visiting Kvint Factory you will be transferred to Chisinau and have free time in Chisinau.


HIGHLIGHTS: Tighina Fortress, Aquatir Sturgeon Farm, Tiraspol city, Kvint wine and brandy Factory

Day 3: Visit of Orheiul Vechi - a 40-thousand-year-old natural amphitheater and wine experience at Cricova winery

Chisinau – Orheiul Vechi – Butuceni – Cricova – Chisinau

The day will begin with a Chisinau walking city tour -  the main administrative, scientific and cultural centre of Moldova. During the tour, you will discover most famous monuments and buildings in Chisinau, such as Bell Tower, Arch of Triumph, Stephen the Great Monument, the Parliament, Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau City Hall and Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ's Nativity.

Next, you will visit Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) - a natural amphitheater revealing a territory which was first inhabited 40 000 years ago. The Cultural, Natural and Landscape Reserve Orheiul Vechi includes a series of historical and cultural monuments as well as natural landscapes in the gorge of the Raut River. Ancient fortifications, cave monasteries, monks and hermits – here you can follow the history of this region. The remnants of the first human settlements were found in the stone caverns from here. On the rocky hill, you will find the ruins of a strong Geto-Dacian fortification, which acted as a sanctuary for celebrating religious holidays and rituals in this prehistoric community. The originality of Orheiul Vechi landscape is due to the gorge of the Raut River, dug under the form of a canyon in the limestone layers of the former Sarmatian Sea, about 14 million years ago.

In the afternoon, you will have lunch at a guesthouse in Butuceni village where you will taste dishes from the local cuisine.

The journey will continue at Cricova Underground Wine Galleries – the pearl of winemaking in the Republic of Moldova and a "must" for guests visiting our country. During the excursion at Cricova winery in the tourist electric train, at a depth of 80 m, you will discover the wonders of this place. Cricova underground galleries are formed by over seventy streets covering an area of nearly 120 km, each bearing Bacchic names: Sauvignon, Cabernet, Cahors, etc. The jewel of the underground treasure is the National Collection, including over 600 types of wine totalling about 1 million bottles. Here you will admire the oldest bottle of wine - "Jewish Easter Wine", dating from 1902. You will also visit the unique production of sparkling wine, where a professional guide will tell you about all the process of producing sparkling wines using the famous French-style Méthode Champenoise. In one of the tasting rooms, the sommelier will explain the rules of wine tasting and help you better reveal the taste and bouquet of each type of wine.

After discovering Cricova Winery you will be transferred to Chisinau.


HIGHLIGHTS: Chisinau city, Orheiul Vechi - a 40 thousand years-old natural amphitheater, Cricova Underground Wine Galleries

 

What's included

  • 3 nights accommodation in a double (DBL) or twin (TWN) room at a 4-5* hotel in Chisinau;
  • Breakfast at the hotel;
  • Lunch on day 2, 3 of the itinerary;
  • Dinner on day 1 of the itinerary;
  • Excursions on the entire itinerary;
  • Entrance fees according to the itinerary;
  • Tasting of 3 types of wine at Asconi winery, 6 types of wine at Cricova and 5 types of wine at Castel Mimi winery;
  • Tasting of 3 types of black caviar at Aquatir Sturgeon Complex (Black caviar of Starlet, Bester, Russian Sturgeon);
  • Tasting of 5 types of brandy (from 10 to 40 years old) at Kvint wine and brandy Factory;
  • Transportation during the entire itinerary;
  • English speaking guide.