Wine cellars of Cricova is second largest winery in Moldova and boasts more than 70 km of labyrinthine roadways. Limestone was dug out to help build Chişinău, capital of Moldova. They were converted into an underground wine emporium in the 1950s.
Half of the roadways are used for wine storage. The roads are named by the wines they store. This “wine city” has its warehouses, tasting rooms and other facilities underground. It goes down to 80 metres below ground and holds 1.25 million bottles of rare wine. The oldest wine dates back to 1902. The temperature is about 12 °C all year round, which is perfect for wine.
Barrels from best oak wood
Sparkling wine
Cricova is one of the very few wineries in the world that produce sparkling wines in accordance with the classical French method, purportedly invented centuries ago by the monk Dom Pierre Perignon – “Methode Champenoise”, by means of the secondary in-bottle fermentation and an ultimate maturation cuvée in horizontal position of at least 3 years.
Automatic turning machine
World’s only bottle of the priceless “Jerusalem of Easter” vintage of 1902
Most expensive wine in Cricova
Putin’s collection. Putin celebrated his 50th birthday in Cricova
Cricova underground winery map
Export map
Protocol and high guest rooms for wine tasting. These are places where different national and international tasting, as well as meetings on the highest level happen.
“Casa Mare”
Production line
Pictures with wine motives
First class quality wine for change
Jurij Gagarin was there for two days before sent to the Space
And moment for which I was waiting almost one and half hour 😛