Moldova's wine industry survived a genuine external shock in the past two decades: Russia, historically its largest export market, banned Moldovan wine imports outright, more than once. What's left is an industry that rebuilt around new markets and now anchors much of the country's wine tourism around two extraordinary pieces of infrastructure — underground cellar complexes built into old limestone quarries, each holding wine collections numbered in the hundreds of thousands or millions of bottles.
Why the cellars exist at all
Both Cricova and Mileștii Mici are built into former limestone quarries — extensive underground tunnel networks originally excavated for building stone, later repurposed for wine storage because of the stable, cool, naturally humid conditions underground, ideal for long-term wine and sparkling wine ageing without artificial climate control. Cricova, founded in 1952 according to its own site, sits at a depth of around 60 metres and describes itself as one of the largest underground complexes of its kind in the world; it was also, per its own account, the first Moldovan producer to use the traditional method (méthode champenoise) for sparkling wine production.
Mileștii Mici holds a Guinness World Record specifically for the size of its wine collection — the National Office for Vine and Wine (Wine of Moldova) describes it as holder of "the record for the world's largest collection of wines" — reflecting both the scale of the tunnels and the sheer number of bottles stored within them.
How the industry rebuilt after Russia's export bans
Russia banned imports of Moldovan wine on more than one occasion in the 2000s and 2010s, citing quality concerns that many observers, including Moldovan officials at the time, characterised as at least partly political, tied to broader tensions between Moldova and Russia. Given how central the Russian market had historically been to Moldovan wine exports, the bans forced a genuine restructuring of the industry rather than a minor disruption.
In the years since, Moldova's wine sector has reoriented significantly toward the European Union and other international markets, supported by promotional efforts from Wine of Moldova, the national wine promotion body, which now runs marketing activity across EU countries including Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ireland, alongside wine competitions and trade events aimed at international buyers. Moldova has also developed formal Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) status for four wine regions — Codru, Ștefan Vodă, Valul lui Traian, and Divin — a quality and origin framework aligned with EU-style wine regulation rather than the country's historical Soviet-era production model.
Visiting Cricova and Mileștii Mici
Both wineries operate as working commercial tourism sites with their own booking systems, and both expect visitors to reserve a tour in advance rather than arrive unannounced. Tours typically combine a walk or ride through a section of the underground tunnels with a tasting of the winery's own wines, including sparkling wine made using the traditional method at Cricova specifically. Exact tour lengths, prices, and current transport-within-the-cellar arrangements (some sections are large enough that tours move by vehicle rather than entirely on foot) should be confirmed directly with each winery's current booking page, since these details are the kind of specifics that change and that this guide's fact policy requires checking at the source rather than assuming from older accounts.
Buying wine while you're there
Both wineries sell their own wine directly on-site, generally including bottles not widely distributed outside Moldova, which makes buying at the source more interesting than buying the same producer's wine (if available at all) once you're home. National Wine Day, held on the first weekend of October according to Wine of Moldova, is the country's largest dedicated wine festival if your visit can be timed around it, bringing together producers from across the country in one event rather than requiring separate winery visits.
How the two cellars compare as a visitor decision
If you only have time for one of the two, the practical difference comes down to what each is best known for: Cricova's own materials emphasise its scale as an underground complex and its role introducing traditional-method sparkling wine production to Moldova, while Mileștii Mici leans on its Guinness-recognised status as home to the world's largest wine collection. Neither is objectively the "better" visit — the choice is more about which specific claim to fame interests you more, and about which tour fits your schedule and transport arrangements on the day, since both require advance booking and a similar amount of travel time from central Chisinau.
What this guide does not cover
This article explains why Moldova's two largest underground wine cellars exist and how the wine industry adapted to lost Russian market access; it does not provide current tour prices, exact tunnel lengths, or specific tasting menus, none of which could be confirmed in enough detail from official sources to print here reliably. Check Cricova's and Mileștii Mici's own current booking pages directly before planning a visit around specific timing or cost.