Richmond Hotel
A renovated four-star hotel in a historic building in the heart of Chișinău, an easy walk from the Great National Assembly Square — perfect for the welcome dinner and for stepping straight into the festival in the morning.
Wine Festival
Chișinău, Cricova & the Orhei hills
◆ Small-group trip · deeply local experiences
Where
Chișinău, Cricova & Orhei
Group size
2–8 travelers
Duration
3 nights, 4 days
When
1–4 October 2027
Price
$1,400 / person
On the first weekend of October, Moldova pours itself onto the Great National Assembly Square in the heart of Chișinău and throws the biggest wine party in Eastern Europe. More than a hundred wineries, a whole country’s harvest, and — if you don’t know where to look — happy chaos. We give you the thread through it: the wines worth your glass, the people behind the labels, and the countryside where the grapes actually come from.
National Wine Day (Ziua Națională a Vinului) fills the square with over a hundred producers across two days, from Cricova’s underground giants to families making a few thousand bottles a year. It’s free, it’s enormous, and it’s easy to drift past the best pours without noticing. With a sommelier at your side you’ll taste with intent — the standout small growers, the classic sparkling houses, and the winemakers who love telling their story to anyone who’ll listen.
Then we go to the source. We descend into Cricova, one of the largest wine cellars on earth — 120 kilometres of limestone galleries kept at a steady 12°C, where bottles have rested since the 1950s — and sit down to dinner at Casa Vinicolă Luca, a four-generation family winery whose small-batch reds have quietly collected medals across Europe. Two ends of Moldovan wine in a single afternoon.
The second half trades the crowd for the hills. We settle into Hill & Valley, a family eco-farm and vineyard in the Orhei codru, pick grapes at the height of harvest, roll sarmale in the kitchen, and walk the forest to the great baroque monastery at Curchi. Everything is handled — a central hotel, comfortable countryside lodging, private transport, every meal and every glass — and there are just eight of us. Small enough to be pulled into a cellar or a kitchen, never a tour group herded past.
Taste
Cricova’s classic-method sparkling, Casa Vinicolă Luca’s oak-aged reds, and the best wines from all around Moldova
Meet
The winemakers behind the labels at the festival, the four-generation Luca family, and Elena, our host at Hill & Valley
Explore
The secular Codrii forest, the Donici manor and baroque Curchi monastery
Make
Hand-pick grapes and make wine, roll sarmale in a farmhouse kitchen, and forage mushrooms in the Codrii forest
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Your itinerary
Day 1
Welcome feast & wine-bar
We gather at our hotel in the heart of Chișinău, a short walk from where the festival takes over tomorrow. Dinner is at a modern bistro that reworks the Moldovan cuisine classics: mămăligă with stewed pork cheeks and a sour-cream mousse, jellied rabbit with horseradish, and babă neagră, the iconic dark dessert, to finish.
After the dinner, we wander to a cozy wine bar — a first, easy taste of the city’s wine culture. Inside fills up fast, but the real life spills onto the street, glasses in hand.
Day 2
National Wine Day, then into Cricova’s cellars
We walk to the Great National Assembly Square for the opening of National Wine Day. With more than a hundred wineries pouring, a festival this size can overwhelm — so we move through it with a sommelier, tasting our way to the growers worth lingering over and meeting the winemakers behind the bottles as we go.
In the afternoon we drive north to Cricova and descend into its underground city — 120 kilometres of galleries where sparkling wine matures the classic French way, and lunch is served deep below ground. We finish the day nearby at Casa Vinicolă Luca, an intimate four-generation family winery, over a long dinner of their oak-aged reds — then drive out to Hill & Valley in the Orhei hills for the night.
Day 3
Harvest, sarmale & a forest walk to Curchi
Elena, our host, sets out a farmhouse breakfast before we head into the vines for the grape harvest — snips, buckets and all, at the busiest and best moment of the winemaking year. Back in the kitchen we roll sarmale together, learning the story of one of Moldova’s best-loved dishes as we cook.
In the afternoon we visit the village of Donici, birthplace of the fabulist Alexandru Donici, whose family manor is now a house-museum and whose father built the little family church and crypt beside it. From there we walk through the codru forest — gathering wild mushrooms and whatever else the season offers — to Curchi monastery, a restored baroque ensemble crowned by the highest dome in Moldova. We return to Hill & Valley for an open-air dinner by the fire.
Day 4
A slow breakfast & back to the city
One last unhurried breakfast on the terrace, the valley below, before we drive back to Chișinău — arriving around midday, glasses emptied and the harvest packed away for another year.
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Where you'll stay
Hill & Valley
A family-owned eco-farm and vineyard in the hills north of Chișinău, near Teleșeu. A terrace over the valley, trails down to a quiet lake, old walnut orchards and working vines — farm-to-table food and the welcome that comes with a family home.
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Meet the crew
The people who open their workshops, cellars and kitchens to us along the way.
Elena
Farmhouse host & cook
Ion
Winemaker
Elena
Moldova Guide
Know before you go
What’s included
- All accommodation — a central Chișinău hotel and two nights at Hill & Valley
- A professional local guide throughout, plus a sommelier at the festival
- Private transport across Chișinău, Cricova and the Orhei hills
- Every meal and drink included in the itinerary
- All tastings, cellar tours, the harvest and cooking sessions, and admissions
Not included
- Airfare and airport transfers to and from Chișinău
- Travel insurance
- Meals and drinks beyond those in the itinerary
- Personal purchases — including the wine you’ll want to take home
Pricing & deposit
The trip is $1,400 per person, based on shared accommodation. A single-room supplement is available on request. A $300 non-refundable deposit secures your place; the balance is due 60 days before departure.
Cancellation policy
Cancel 30+ days before departure for a full refund less the deposit; under 30 days the fee is non-refundable. We are not able to make exceptions in cases of family or medical emergency.
Activity level
Gentle to moderate. Expect a long day on your feet at the festival, a hands-on grape harvest, and a couple of miles of walking on forest and village paths — always at an unhurried pace.
Dietary restrictions
We do our best to accommodate restrictions, though some traditional dishes can’t be altered — tell us about allergies or intolerances before you book so we can advise.
Arrival & departure
Arrive in Chișinău by mid-afternoon on Day 1 for the welcome dinner, and depart any time from the afternoon of Day 4. We’re glad to arrange extra nights at the group hotel — just ask after booking.
When it runs
The trip is built around National Wine Day, always the first weekend of October. Dates for 2027 are 1–4 October, with the festival itself on the Saturday and Sunday.
$1,400 / person
1–4 October 2027 · 2–8 travelers · $300 deposit