Of Moldova's many vineyards, Cricova (www.cricova.md) is arguably the best known. Its underground wine kingdom, 15km north of Chişinău, is one of Europe's biggest. Some 60km of the 120km-long underground limestone tunnels – dating from the 15th century – are lined wall-to-wall with bottles.
The most interesting part of a tour of the winery is the wineglass-shaped cellar of collectable bottles, including some 19 bottles that once belonged to Nazi party leader Hermann Göring, a 1902 bottle of Becherovka from the Czech Republic, a 1902 bottle of Evreiesc de Paşti from Jerusalem, and pre-WWII French red wines. Legend has it that in 1966 Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin entered the cellars, re-emerging (with assistance) two days later. Russian president Vladimir Putin even celebrated his 50th birthday here.
You must have private transport and advance reservations to get into Cricova or you can arrange for staff to pick you up in Chişinău.
0 comments:
Post a Comment