Cricova Winery

Name: Cricova Winery
Address: MD-2084, Str. Chișinăului 124, Cricova, Moldova, Chișinău, MD
Telephone: +373 792 02 999
Price range: moderate
Rating: 4.7

The underground wine city — 120km of galleries at 60m depth, pioneer of Méthode Traditionnelle in Moldova since 1952.

4.7 · 5119 reviews· Chișinău

Moderate300-700 leiCasual25 min from ChișinăuIndoor

What makes it worth it

Drive tour through street-named tunnels + 4 Méthode Traditionnelle sparklers tasting + optional Cernăuți hall.

The story

Cricova is an «underground wine city» — a labyrinth of 120km of galleries at 60m depth under Cricova town (15km north of Chișinău), excavated in limestone since 1952. Pioneer of Méthode Traditionnelle (champenoise) in Moldova — first producer in the country to use this technique for sparklers. Tunnels have street names («Cabernet», «Pinot», «Sauvignon»), street signs, intersections and one-way — you drive through with your own car or winery minibus. Key attractions: Putin's cellar (Vladimir Putin donated a spade here on a visit), Yuri Gagarin's cellar (the cosmonaut got lost here after his first «tour»), Cernăuți hall with decorative vaults, sparkling wine cellar with ~1.3 million bottles. Standard programme: tour + tasting of 4-6 sparklings and still wines + optional banquet hall. Tours in RO/RU/EN/FR/IT.

What to expect

Best at

MorningAfternoon

Duration2-3 h

Ideal group1-50 people

LanguagesRO · RU · EN · FR

ReservationRequired in advance

Good for

First-time visitorCultural discoveryWith familySmall groupLarge groupTeam buildingTourist weekendBusiness meeting

Also at this venue

BoutiqueCricova Wine ShopMagazinul oficial Cricova în centrul Chișinăului – vinuri clasice, spumanți de colecție și divin la prețuri de cramă

Gallery

What people love

120km of galleries with street names
Méthode Traditionnelle pioneer in Moldova (1952)
only 15km from Chișinău
Putin + Gagarin cellars (historic curiosities)
Cernăuți hall with painted vaults
tours in 5 languages

Photo moments

«Cabernet» street sign in tunnel
Cernăuți hall with decorative vaults
car at tunnel entrance
Crișan bottle in candle-lit niche
banquet hall at 60m depth

Ambiance

Family-friendlyGroup-friendlyPrivate roomInstagrammableReservation neededEnglish menuParkingCards OK

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What visitors wrote

“A wonderful spot for wine lovers and unique places. The cellars are impressive in size and atmosphere. We took a tour with a tasting; the tour was very intensive and interesting, but a bit short. The guide was knowledgeable and answered almost all of our questions. The tour was a bit pricey, but we got five glasses of different wines, which were quite tasty and fragrant. Overal…”
— Kyrylo Shevchuk 5
“Wow - what an incredible place! On arrival you are greeted by beautiful terraces and beautiful gardens - it is a site to behold. There is a grand entrance and collecting tickets (or buying them) is easy enough! It is very busy though so get there with time to spare! On entry to the cellars, you get on a sort of electric train and you are called by group. You explore years of …”
— Andrei Cretu 5
“I highly recommend visiting the Cricova underground winery in Moldova — it’s a must-see for every tourist. It’s best to book your ticket in advance, and you can conveniently pay online by card. The winery is accessible by bus, but during winter I wouldn’t recommend it, as the bus schedule can be irregular and you may end up waiting outside for a long time. Taking a taxi is a b…”
— Victoria Hell 5