For the Russian people, besides vodka being their favorite, what they were once proud of "drinking" was Moldova wine. Moldova wine may be relatively unfamiliar to Chinese people, but the brilliance of this wine-producing country is hard for anyone to resist. High-quality fine wines, an ancient and profound wine culture, and breathtaking underground wine cellars have attracted the attention of many travelers.
Moldova is known as the "Kingdom of Wine," with an annual national wine production of over 600,000 tons, which is 2.5 times that of the Bordeaux region in France, exceeding the entire wine production of China, and ranking as the 7th largest wine exporter in the world. The wine produced is not only large in volume but also of excellent quality. In addition to fine wine, Moldova also possesses a breathtaking underground wine cellar, attracting many tourists to visit and explore.
1. Admire the oil painting-like vineyard scenery and taste high-quality, affordable fine wines
Moldova is located in southeastern Europe, between Ukraine and Romania. It is situated at a latitude similar to Burgundy, with rolling hills and abundant sunshine all year round, earning it the reputation of the "Land of Sunshine." Atlantic cyclones blow a large amount of moist, warm air into Moldova. In addition, Moldova also possesses some of the best black soil in the world, which is unique globally. Strolling through the Moldovan countryside, most of the time you will feel as if you are in a work of European pastoral oil painting, with pure and vast blue skies and vineyards covering the mountains and plains. It seems as if every piece of land is shining with vitality, evoking romantic love songs deep in people's hearts. No wonder the great poet Pushkin said, "The best wine from Moldova, dedicated to you and your loved ones."
The unique geographical environment has created innate advantages for the birth of fine wine. Local Moldovan wine has appropriate sweetness, is mellow and moist, and has an excellent taste. Its red wine has a unique and wonderful aroma and flavor, belonging to the wild and unrestrained type, while the white wine is fresh and easy to drink, and the price is affordable. Wine in large and small restaurants is generally between 2-3 USD, even cheaper than beer and mineral water, and various wines in supermarkets are priced between 15-25 RMB. Since ancient times, Moldova has been hailed by the Russian Tsars as "Russia's Wine Cellar" and has enjoyed a high reputation among the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. Today, Moldova wine is highly sought after all over the world. The Forest wine won the grand prize at the 12th International Exhibition, and the Black Purcari wine vintage also won a gold medal...
2. Soil
Moldova can be said to be a country standing on limestone. Since the entire territory of Moldova originated from seabed subsidence movements, its soil consists of 20-100 cm of surface black soil and limestone underneath. This also gives Moldova's soil structure good drainage, which is very suitable for growing grapes.
During the Soviet era, in order to respond to the huge industrial pace of the Soviet machine, quarrying and lime refining became the main industries of Moldova. It was these long and narrow tunnels left by quarrying that laid the foundation for Moldova's underground wine kingdom.
3. Visit the breathtaking underground wine cellar
Moldova has a long history of wine, and the fine wines it brews are world-renowned. Due to the development of the wine industry, Moldova has formed a special wine culture, and for this reason, it has built the breathtaking Cricova underground wine cellar. The cellar is 120 kilometers long in total and is a Moldovan wine museum, and it can even be called the largest treasure wine cellar in Europe and the world.
Here, you can drive an electric car to tour Cabernet Road, admire Chardonnay Avenue, feel Merlot Square, or experience Sauvignon Blanc Street. However, please be careful not to get lost!! It is said that the famous Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin came to visit the wine cellar, which is 100 meters deep, in 1966, and he only came out 2 days later! Many celebrities like Gagarin have visited this unique large wine cellar, such as Jiang Zemin and Merkel, and Putin's 50th birthday celebration was held here.
4. Experience the ancient and profound wine culture and stories
Moldova is the oldest wine-producing country among the 5 founding members of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), with a winemaking history of more than 5,000 years, embodying a profound cultural heritage. Wine appears in many historical legends of Moldova. A long time ago, a castle in Moldova was surrounded by the Turks. The soldiers defending the city fought bravely against the invaders until they ran out of ammunition and food, and the invaders were about to capture the castle. At this critical moment, hundreds of white storks flew to the castle, holding grapes in their mouths and giving them to the defenders of the castle. After the soldiers ate the grapes, their spirits were high, their morale was greatly boosted, and they repelled the invading enemies. Since then, grapes have entered the hearts of the Moldovan people and are closely related to people's lives.
