GASTRO AND WINE TOUR – SOUTH OF

DAY 1

Day 1: Arrival day

Chisinau

On arrival at Chisinau International Airport, you will arrange your own transfer to the hotel in Chisinau (optional private transfer upon request). After settling in, you can have a walk through downtown and explore the city centre on your own.

Optional (not included in the price): welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant with folk music.

DAY 2

Day 2: Discovery of popular Moldovan dishes in Lalova village

Chisinau – Lalova – Orhei – Chisinau

In the morning, you will enjoy a tour of Chisinau city - the main administrative, scientific and cultural centre of Moldova. During the tour, you will see pieces of history and culture of the city such as the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, the Bell Tower, the Arch of Triumph, the Monument of Stephen the Great, the City Hall, etc.

Then, you will travel to Lalova village where you will visit Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse and have a culinary masterclass on cooking traditional Moldovan “sarmale” - vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables. The particularity of “sarmale” made here consists in the fact that they are very small and you will surely have a nice experience preparing them. Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse is the perfect choice for a quiet and full of emotions stay. Here, you will surely fall in love with some of the most popular dishes in Moldova. During lunch, you will discover the taste of delicious dishes cooked following a recipe containing secrets passed down from generation to generation and taste homemade liqueurs and homemade vodka.

You will continue your journey to Château Vartely winery in Orhei town where you will enjoy an excursion, wine tasting and lunch. Château Vartely is a modern complex, which comprises hotel-type houses, restaurants, tasting rooms, and a huge inner yard. In the cellars and then in tasting rooms you will be acquainted with the particularities of Château Vartely wines, you will learn how they are made, kept and served. You will be transferred from Orhei to Chisinau.

Optional (not included in the price): - Food and wine pairing at Den restaurant - Dinner at a local restaurant

HIGHLIGHTS: Chisinau city, Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse, Culinary masterclass at Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse , Château Vartely winery,

DAY 3

Day 3: Discovery of Gagauz wines and cuisine at Karagani winery

Chisinau – Besalma – Vulcanesti –

The day will begin with a visit at the National Gagauz Museum of History and Ethnography “D. Cara-Ciobanu” in Besalma village in . The museum presents the history, culture and everyday life of the from ancient times until nowadays. One of the personalities of this small nation was the writer D. Cara-Ciobanu, who spent his life promoting this culture. He founded this museum, which features more than 6,000 exhibits, including works by famous writers, poets and famous artists in Gagauzia.

Next, you will travel to Karagani winery – a family winery with a specific emphasis on the Gagauz origins of the Cerven family, who owns the company. Located in Vulcanesti, in the southern part of Moldova, this small family enterprise is engaged in grape cultivation and wine production. Karagani wines are produced by original technology from selected grapes of European and national varieties, grown on its own vineyards. On this land, you will discover the tastes of Karagani wines and the specificity of Gagauz cuisine, while tasting Gagauz dishes such as shorpa (a highly seasoned mutton soup), gözleme (flat breads) and bulgur. An excursion from the Trajan’s Wall to the monument to the Battle of Cahul will be offered, followed by the visit of the Ethnographic Gagauz Museum.

Next, you will visit and check in at Gagauz Sofrasi guesthouse, a typically Gagauz house of the XIX century. Here you will participate in gozleme making masterclass and enjoy dinner with traditional Gagauz dishes and homemade wine.

HIGHLIGHTS: National Gagauz Museum of History and Ethnography “D. Cara-Ciobanu”, Karagani winery, Gagauz Sofrasi guesthouse,

DAY 4

Day 4: Vinuri de winery – the oldest winery of southern Moldova Congaz – Comrat – – Chisinau

You will start the day by travelling to Comrat where you will enjoy a city tour. Comrat is the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, located in southwest Moldova. This is a very interesting territory since the majority of its habitants are Gagauzians. These are the only representatives of Turkic origin that affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Gagauzians migrated from Bulgaria together with ethnic Bulgarians and settled in Moldova in 19th century.

You will continue your trip to Vinuri de Comrat winery, which is the oldest winery of southern Moldova. Here you will discover the tastes of Vinuri de Comrat wines. For over 100 years the winemakers of Comrat are preserving and transmitting from generation to generation the classical traditions of making fresh and naturally elegant wines based on the unique winemaking technology characteristic for the south of Moldova. Vinuri de Comrat is a modern complex processing 4 thousands tones of wine and spirits using closed-loop cycle, including production and processing of grape, production and bottling of dry, semi-sweet, desert, selected and vintage wine, production of wine spirit. Its portfolio lists more than 50 collections of wine, however, it is very famous for the Cahors wine.

Next, you will be transferred to Avdarma village where you will have lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, you will have an excursion in Avdarma village that surprises with its local infrastructure, cultural and sport life. Each thing is unusual in Avdarma for both Gagauzia and the southern part of the Republic of Moldova.

In the evening you will be transferred to Chisinau.

Optional (not included in the price): dinner in a local restaurant.

HIGHLIGHTS: Vinuri de Comrat winery, Avdarma village,

DAY 5

Day 5: Departure day

Chisinau

On departure day, you will arrange your own transfer from the hotel to Chisinau International Airport (optional private transfer upon request). If your flight is in the afternoon, you will have some optional activities before the flight (not included in the price):

- Shopping at the Central market; - Shopping at the souvenirs market; - Wine tasting at a local wine bar; - Lunch at a local restaurant; - Excursion with wine tasting and lunch at Asconi winery; - Excursion with wine tasting at the urban winery ATU.