The wines of Crama Mircești

Crama Mircești is a young winery in the village of Mircești, in the north-west of the Codru wine region, in the heart of Moldova. It lies in the Măgura hills. At the centre of the estate is a restored manor house in an authentic Romanian architectural style with Byzantine and Baroque influences. Crama Mircești makes premium wines from both Moldovan and international grapes. Its guesthouse and restaurant are a popular destination for wine tourists.

The story of Crama Mircești begins about a century ago, when a Moldovan noble family had a manor house built on a hill of just over 300 metres. During the Second World War the family fled to Western Europe, leaving the estate behind. In the Soviet era the building served various purposes, but it fell into disrepair. By the 1990s it was little more than a ruin.

The current owner, Arcadie Foșnea, comes from Mircești. He learned the wine trade in Germany and returned to his native village to start a winery of his own. He bought the dilapidated manor house and had it restored in 2011, preserving its original features. The first vines were planted the same year.

In 2020 the winery opened a guesthouse with traditional Moldovan cuisine. In 2021 Crama Mircești received support from the European Union, which was used to expand the tourist facilities and to buy a wastewater treatment plant and new farm machinery. Today Crama Mircești is the economic hub of the village of the same name. The winery is the only employer in the village, with fifteen permanent staff and some forty people from Mircești and the surrounding area in total, counting the seasonal workers.

Despite its young age, Crama Mircești is regarded as a model for small wineries in Moldova, thanks to its modern approach. The winery has its own weather station and uses drones to inspect the vineyards. It also serves as a trial site for a Moldovan project researching the best practices for grape growing in the country.

Mircești lies about 25 kilometres from the town of Ungheni, close to the Romanian border, and about 80 kilometres from the capital Chișinău. The vineyards cover some 15 to 17 hectares on the slopes of the Măgura hills. They lie at around 300 metres above sea level, which is high by Moldovan standards.

The soil consists of sandy clay. According to the winery, the climatic conditions are comparable to those of the Rhine Valley in Germany and of northern Italy. Each grape variety is planted on the slope that suits it best, as is also done in those regions.

Crama Mircești grows a varied mix of grapes. The indigenous varieties are the black Fetească Neagră and Rară Neagră and the white Fetească Regală and Fetească Albă. Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Saperavi, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Rkatsiteli are also planted in the vineyards.

The estate is a popular wine tourism destination. The guesthouse has thirteen rooms, and there is a restaurant serving traditional dishes, a lounge, a terrace and a bar. There are several monasteries in the area, and a walking and cycling route runs from the winery through the vineyards.