Few Guinness World Records from Moldova

Some friends from Czech Republic asked me, if Moldova has something truly spectacular to offer for its tourists. So far many might have gotten the impression that Moldova does not have anything amazing to offer. That is not quite true. There is one thing. A thing that will make your lower jaws hit the floor 😉 . One of the most mysterious treasures from Moldova is the largest underground wine cellar in the world, which is “hidden” in our country.

Just 15 km from Chişinău (the capital of Moldova), Cricova mines lay deep underground. The mined limestone has been used for centuries to build the city of Chisinau and surrounding towns.
After the Second World War, someone came with this brilliant idea to use the empty space of this underground world for wine storage. Since the average depth of the caves is 60-80 meters, the temperature is constant and low that makes it just perfect for the storage of wine and the fermentation of sparkling wine – about +12-14°C and humidity of 97-98%.

Nowadays, the length of mines is more than 100 km and the winery located there uses about 2/3 of them. It is a labyrinth of subterranean streets, named after wine types, so you can stagger along Cabernet Street before crawling east into Pinot Street and then on Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Feteasca, Aligote, Muscat Streets and so on. You need to have a guide not to get lost. The most fun is to drive a car in this world of large oak barrels filled with aged wine. It is so spacious down there that even a large truck can drive in.

Source: Piataauto.md
Taxis are available at each main intersection and don’t be surprised if you see a traffic light 😉 .
Cars

A tour in Cricova cellars includes not only a driving and working through these ‘wine tunnels’, but also a delicious dinner served with fine wines.

At the end of the tour you will get a “take-home bag” with a few bottles of collection wines.Cricova’s museum stores the country’s national collection of 1.2 millions of bottles of 653 names of local and world brands. The oldest wine is from 1902 named “Jewish Easter Wine”, another interesting bottle is a Czech Becherovka which is the oldest bottle of liqueur is from the same year .

Not far from Cricova is another wine cellar – Milestii Mici – that has another uniqueness. The Milestii Mici’s wine collection of more than 1,5 million bottles has been included in the Guinness World Records at the category The Largest Quality Wine Collection in the world. The first bottle was stored in 1968, and new vintages are added each year. The total length of underground galleries excavated in lime mining operations is 200 km, 55 km of which are used and explored at the depth of 80-85 m underground.

Moldova is a wine producing nation and I can testify to the fact that the production is good! But wine is more than just a hobby for Moldovans, it is a significant part of the culture, the economy, and even the political life here. Moldovan red wine is considered medicinal and as it is supposed to increase red blood cell counts according to my grandpa 🙂 . I even heard that some people give their children a little red wine in the summer in order to minimize the UV affects of the sun on them!

Every Moldovan home has a cellar and every cellar has a couple of barrels of wine fermenting in it at any given time. It is a tradition that goes back centuries and the homebrew stuff is a deep ruby color and is made from the local red grapes that are grown all over the countryside. When you visit a Moldovan home, you are greeted with a glass of wine and it is a sign of friendship to drink it, though most Moldovans will understand if you do not drink alcohol for religious or personal reasons – we will think you a bit odd – but we will understand 😉 .

Another Guinness world record from Moldova is that we have the highest consumption of apples per capita, about 472 apples per year. As you understand, we are a healthy nation by combining apples with quality wine 😉 .