The
wine cellars of Cricova, Moldova
Cricova
is a Moldovan winery, located in the town with the same name, 15
kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Chişinău. Famous wine cellars make it a
popular attraction for tourists.
Winery
The wine cellars of Cricova is the second largest wine cellar in Moldova, after Milestii Mici
(largest in the world). It boasts a mere 120 kilometres (75 mi) of
labyrinthine roadways, versus MM's 200 kilometres (120 mi), tunnels
have existed under Cricova since the 15th century, when limestone was
dug out to help build Chişinău. They were converted into an underground
wine emporium in the 1950s.
Half of the roadways are used for
wine storage. The roads are named by the wines they store. This "wine
city" has its warehouses, tasting rooms and other facilities
underground. It goes down to 100 metres (330 ft) below ground and holds
1.25 million bottles of rare wine. The oldest wine dates back to 1902.
The temperature is maintained at about 12 °C (54 °F) all year round
(which is perfect for wine). This place is especially famous for hiding
Jews in wine barrels during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Legend
has it that in 1966 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin entered the cellars,
re-emerging (with assistance) two days later. Russian president
Vladimir Putin celebrated his 50th birthday there.
The territory
used to be a mine for limestone, a building material. In some branches
excavation is still active, so the cellar is still growing. Other
famous wineries in Moldova include Cojuşna and Mileştii Mici.
Wine production
Cricova
is one of the very few wineries in the world that produce sparkling
wines in accordance with the classical French method, purportedly
invented centuries ago by the monk Dom Pierre Perignon – "Methode
Champenoise", by means of the secondary in-bottle fermentation and an
ultimate maturation cuvée in horizontal position of at least 3 years.
Cricova
makes a unique sparkling red wine, kodrinskoie-sparkling, made from
cabernet sauvignon stocks and marketed as having a 'rich velvet texture
and a blackcurrant and cherry taste'.
The "Grand Cellars of
Cricova" house a remarkable collection of wines – The National Oenotec.
The unique exhibits ("Jerusalem of Easter" vintage 1902, the liqueur
"Jan Becker" vintage 1902) together with other 158 brands from
Bourgogne, Moseley, Tokay, Rein, etc. – make up the precious thesaurus
of the establishment as well as of Moldova in general, comprising
nowadays a total of about 1.3 million bottles.
However, the
pride of the Oenotec are, first of all, the wines bearing the name
"Cricova", which brought the winery a collection of national and
international tasting awards. As of 2008, the collection consists of
over 70 silver, gold and Grand Prix awards.
official site: www.cricova.md
Text from wikipedia Retrieved February 21, 2016
The wine cellars of Cricova, Moldova
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The wine cellars of Cricova, Moldova
The wine cellars of Cricova, Moldova
