Wine Festival in Chisinau, Moldova (2023 dates): a local’s guide

A useful guide to the Wine Festival in Chisinau, Moldova, or Wine Day (that’s how we call it here).

Did you know that Moldova is one of the twenty biggest wine producers in the world? We are a very small country and I think that considering the size of our territory we have quite many wine-producing centers 🙂 They are mostly located in the center and south of the country, but the most famous ones are relatively close to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

Let’s take Milestii Mici, for example. This winery is about 14 km away from Chisinau and its cellars are about 200(!) km long. It would be fair to say that only 55 kilometers are used for different purposes. In addition, according to the Guinness World Records, Milestii Mici owns the biggest wine collection, approximately 2 million bottles!

Cricova is another famous winery in Moldova. Its cellars stretch for 120 kilometers and just like in case of Milestii Mici, there are streets down there. Imagine how huge these underground towns are if you can explore them by car?

It is quite understandable then that we in Moldova have a festival dedicated entirely to wine. This festival is a perfect opportunity for wine producers to showcase their product and for wine lovers to taste it. Good thing is that instead of going to the wineries, they come to you which means that you can taste wines of different companies in one place. And, as any Moldovan celebration, this festival is accompanied by music, dances and traditional food.

Just some info about me: I was born in Moldova and I have been living in Chisinau for 18 years already.

Some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning that I will get a small commission (it won’t cost you anything!) if you click and book tours or accommodation.

The dates for 2023 Wine Festival in Chisinau, Moldova

The Wine Festival this year will be on October 7-8. This edition will be special as it is the festiva’ls 10th anniversary. The motto of this year is ‘Our wine conquers the world’ and the idea is to reflect the fact that it is popular with both wine lovers and experts.

As in previous years, the wine producers are exhibiting at the main square of Chisinau Piața Marii Adunări Naționale, while the eating area is set up in the Cathedral Park.

I guess the day will get more exciting around 12, when some activities like carpet making, wood carving and pottery at Peasant’s yard will start. At 2 pm both days guests will have an opportunity to join the wine school with wine tastings and stories. And, of course, there will be music, mostly traditional: around 1 pm local folk dance bands will perform, and after 4 pm it will be local singers performing: the program promises that our famous band Zdob și Zdub and Pasha Parfeni (both the band and the singer represented Moldova in the Eurovision song contest) will be there in the evening.

As in the previous years, attendees can buy the tasting pass for 250 MDL (around 13 EUR): it includes a recyclable glass, tasting of 12 wines and discounts on the branded items. More info on the pass and program is here.

As before, there will be tours to wineries: check it below.

What to do at the Wine Festival in Chisinau

Considering that Wine Festival is one of the most important celebrations in Moldova that gathers about 90 wine producers in one place, there are plenty of things to do. Let’s start with the most obvious one.

But before that I have a confession to make: I am not a wine drinker 🙂 It is fair to say that I do not drink alcoholic drinks at all. I still remember how confused people are when I say it 🙂
So when I go to the Wine Festival, I go there for people watching.

Drink wine, of course!

I guess it is safe to say that you love wine if you decided to come to Moldova for the festival. Here you can taste any kinds of wine possible: red, white, rose, sparkling (champagne), young and old. And brandy, it is called divin in Moldovan/Romanian. We have Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Aligote, Saperavi, Pinot Noir, Rkatsiteli and less known to international visitors local varieties like Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală and Rară Neagră. What I am trying to say is that there is wine to satisfy any taste 🙂

Of course, tasting is not free: usually a glass of wine costs about 15-20 Moldovan leis (about 0,8-1 EUR). A couple of previous years the organisers sold a special ticket for about 10 EUR (200 MDL) which included tasting of 12 different wines, a biodegradable glass, discounts for some goods and 2 trolleybus tickets (to limit the usage of cars). Hopefully, this year they will do the same, but expect much higher prices.

Eat traditional food

Moldovan cuisine has a rich variety of food, but, unfortunately, a very limited number is usually offered at events like the Wine Festival.

Usually, there is a lot of meat dishes for sale, you can buy here chicken, quail and pork. In addition, there are some salad options and grilled vegetables, but what I am going to recommend you here is truly traditional: placintas, the so-called pastries with different fillings like cheese, potatoes, pumpkin, cabbage and cherries. Placintas are very delicious, especially if you get them hot. The price is usually 20-25 lei per piece (1-1,3 EUR). When it comes to meat, you may want to try mici, which are small cylindrically shaped sausages made from ground meat and spices. By the way, mici is translated as small ones from Moldovan/Romanian.

And continuing with traditional food: you just have to have pickles! We pickle many vegetables, like cabbage, tomatoes, peppers (they are usually filled with a cabbage mix), cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, and, attention!, apples and watermelon 🙂 I am not claiming that you can buy everything I mention at the festival, it is more frequently done for eating at home during long and cold winters. But if you can’t find them at the festival you may try the food section of our central market. If you are interested, to my taste all pickled vegetables and fruit are yummy 🙂

Listen to music and dance

Every festival in Moldova is accompanied by music, and it is mostly folk music. If you have ever wanted to listen to traditional Moldovan music and songs, the Wine Festival in Chisinau is the right place.

Usually the most famous local singers and dance troupes are invited. One of them is Joc: this dance ensemble was created in August 1945! Even nowadays it is one of the best known in the country and its members are the best performers of the Moldovan folk dances.

A couple of years ago many local orchestras were invited to the event, and there was a competition between two wind bands.

But the most important thing is that visitors can start to circle dance (Moldovan hora) to the music, and everyone is free to join them. The moves are quite simple (I am not saying I can replicate them 🙂 ), so you might give it a try.

Previous years the stage was right in the center of the Great National Assembly Square, but they are planning to move it to the pedestrian street Eugen Doga nearby, behind the cathedral.

Shop for artisanal goods

Wine at the festival is not exactly an artisanal product, but you can buy plenty of it here: a good thing is that producers usually put a lower price during the festival which attracts many customers. I have personally seen people coming with roller bags: not so many, but still 🙂

But let’s talk about something else. There are some stands and tents at the festival where people can sell artisanal goods like clay crockery, wine flasks, small wine casks, traditional clothing. They would make a nice souvenir, but my personal opinion is that they are overpriced. Unfortunately, there are not many other places in the city you can buy something similar (at least, I am not aware of them), except the souvenir market.

Take pictures and selfies

I am one of those people who sees the world through the camera, but I am not comfortable photographing people, so I had different subjects 🙂

What you can photograph at the Wine Festival in Chisinau is fancily shaped bottles, stands with wine, and, most importantly, installations with traditional motives, like the one below:

Selfies at these stands are a must 🙂

Take part in masterclasses

One of the last Wine Festival was quite interesting with many entertainment possibilities, so I hope they will continue with this tradition this year as well.

They organised a couple of masterclasses last year, like wine school, traditional dances, and basket and furniture plaiting.

Hang out with locals

We are very nice and hospitable people 🙂 So, don’t be afraid and come closer, we will be delighted to talk to you and we will most likely pour our hearts out, especially when we are merry after drinking a glass of wine 🙂

There are not many tourists coming to Moldova, so we are happy to see that people from other countries find ours interesting and we will want to know everything about you and why you have decided to come here 🙂 And we might even treat you with another glass of wine 🙂

Tours to wineries

Some of the most famous wineries in Moldova, Purcari, Castel Mimi, Chateau Vartely and the above-mentioned Milestii Mici and Cricova, and many other, have previously organised tours to their cellars and they will do it again this year. Depending on the winery it costs between 13-25 EUR. Please, be careful when you book a tour: some include transportation, others don’t. Some offer substantial food to go with wine, others go with crackers only. Some start tours as early as 10 am, others aim for 12 pm. Some wineries offer additional entertainment like prize drawings, masterclasses, folk dances and performances about Moldovan traditions. There is a bit more information on the official Wine Day page under tours.

Some exciting news 🙂

In case you decide to spend some more time in the hospitable country of ours, you can visit the Wine Festival in Gagauzia, an autonomous territorial unit in the south of Moldova. Comrat usually hosts it later that Chisinau. Yes, I know it’s quite probable that there is more than a week between these two events, even a month sometimes, but if you can’t attend the one in Chisinau, you can come for this one 🙂

I am sure you know by now that wine is taken pretty seriously in Moldova, now you have to come and see it for yourself 🙂

And if you are in Chisinau, have a look at my posts about the city:

• Public transport guide for Chisinau.
• 50+ things to do in Chisinau.
• The best bakeries and pastry shops in Chisinau.
• If you need some guidance on your trip to Moldova, I have a first timer’s guide ready.
• In case you are a vegan/vegetarian, I have a food guide for you.
• And if you want to spend some more time in Moldova, here is a list of cities to visit.