Wine is inseparable of the Romanian culture, an important component of our art and philosophy. During this tour you will meet, feel and taste the wines of one of the most famous regions in Romania, Moldavia. The history was cruel with this region, being splitted after the 2nd world war in two parts, one is the Romanian region of Moldova and the other being the old Basarabia, now known as Republic of Moldova. But both regions are linked by their famous and good wines! Come and meet the passion for the Moldavian wines; after visiting the biggest wine cellar in Europe and maybe in entire world, and tasting the wonderful Moldavian cuisine and music you will see that wine in Moldavia goes best with traditions, both still terribly appreciated in the European Culture!

Day 1: Arrival in Bucharest. If time permits short city tour, and we will enjoy a wine tasting and dinner to a Wine Club in Bucharest. Here you will have a presentation about Romanian wines, vineries and have the chance to talk to a professional somelier. Accommodation in NH 4* Hotel downtown Bucharest.

Day 2: Short City tour of Bucharest and departure to Sibiu, Capital of culture in Europe 2007. On the way we will stop to visit Cozia Monastery. Known as the oldest and most complex historical and art monuments from Romania, Cozia Monastery is situated on the right bank of the river Olt, and 75 km away from Sibiu. It was built between 1386-1388, being one of the most important foundations of the ruler Mircea cel Batran (Mircea the Ancient). Sibiu which is possibly the loveliest of all the Transylvanian cities, used to be the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons in Romania until World War II. and during many centuries, one of the most important and best fortified town in Europe. The historical town splits itself between 2 squares: the Big and the Little Ring. Between the highlights of the Sibiu town are the medieval fortifications: DefenceWall, the Stairs’, the Gate’s, the Drapers’, the Potters’, the Carpenters’, the Powder Mill Tower, Council Tower and Brukenthal Palace Museum in the late Austrian baroque style with a richly decorated ceiling with a variety of stucco motifs. The evangelic Church and the Liars Bridge is not to be missed. Sibiu and its surrounding area have many significant museums, with 12 institutions housing art collections, paintings, and exhibits in decorative arts, archaeology, anthropology, history, industrial archeology and history of technology and natural sciences. Accommodation in an elegant Hotel, Hilton Sibiu 5* where we will enjoy the dinner and a wine tasting. Best suited for business as well as leisure activities, Hilton Sibiu features facilities for high demand travelers in an awesome designed, with exquisite classical interiors and furniture.

Day 3: Early departure for Sighisoara and travel back in time to a living medieval citadel, overlooking a valley of picturesque villages. Sighisoara is to be the most beautiful medieval citadel from Eastern Europe. German architectural influences are visible throughout the entire city. Sighisoara was for several centuries a military political stronghold. One of its most famous attractions is the Clock Tower (Council Tower), built in the 14th Century. This was the control tower of the main gate of the 2,500 foot long defensive wall. The tower has seven foot thick walls and was used to store ammunition, food reserves, archives and the city’s treasures. The clock was placed in the tower in the 17th Century. Highlights include: Guild Tower, Venetian House (built in the 13t Century),Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) House, Antler House, Wooden Covered Staircase, Hill Church, Oberth Square. Enjoy a short walking tour , see the famous birthplace house of Prince Vladislav III (known as Vlad the Impaler or simply Dracula), ruler of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. It was Vlad who inspired Bram Stoker’s fictional creation, Count Dracula. Special lunch in Valeni in a gipsy house, where we will have the possibility to taste roma food, next to a raging Gypsy fire in the courtyard. After lunch we will enjoy a presentation about Roma and the various Roma tribes. We will continue our way through the impressive sheer limestone walls of the Bicaz Gorges in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains to the Monastery of Neamt, the most important monk Monastery in Moldova. Accomodation and special dinner with holy wine tasting with officials in the monastery.

Day 4: In the morning you have the possibility to attend the service, followed by the presentation of the Neamt monastery, its name coming from the Slavic word for germans. Departure to Iasi. We will have lunch and a enjoy a profesional discussion with a manager from a vinery located in once the famous wine area from Iasi. Lunch in this area and obviously a wine tasting. IASI is the most important historical, economic, and cultural center in Northeast Romania City tour and visit of the the Mitropolitan Cathedral, Culture Palace etc. The city was the capital of Moldavia from the 16th century until 1861 and of Romania (Romanian Kingdom) between 1916–1918 during World War I. One of the largest Romanian city, Iaşi is the economic, cultural and academic centre of Romanian region of Moldavia. The city has the oldest Romanian university and accommodates an annual count of over 60,000 students in 5 public and 3 private universities. It is home also to more than 50 churches. Cultural life gravitates around the National Theater (the oldest in Romania), the Opera House, the Iaşi State Philarmonic, the Tătăraşi Atheneum, a famous Botanical Garden (the oldest and largest in Romania), the Central University Library (the oldest in Romania) etc. In the evening! Surprise!! in a monk monastery we will enjoy a blessed wine... and have the opportunity to hear Byzantine church music sang by a student’s choir from the Theological University of Iasi.

Day 5: Departure around 9.00 to Republic of Moldova, Coming to Moldova you will discover the time-honored pleasures of wine tasting not far from where the grapes are harvested. Even the Moldovan legends prove the undoubtfull connection of our country to the existence of vine and wine-making in the world. There are four wine routes for tourists in Moldova, including the well-known old cellars, underground galleries, and wine collections of famous wine producers (Cricova, Milestii Mici, Cojusna, Purcari and others). The tasting rooms of many of the wine-producing companies are scientific-educational centers of the country, really magnificent and beautiful. Let’s not forget that in the period 1997- 2002 Republic of Moldova exceeded USA in the top world wine exporters. With an amount of 1, 6 billion hl of wine per year Moldova set on the 6 place. Arrival in the capital of Moldova - Chisinau city and traditonal gagauz lunch. During city tour you will visit historical, cultural and natural sightseeing in and around Chisinau city. The biggest part of Chisinau sights is concentrated around the city’s main avenue that commemorates the name of Moldova’s greatest king Stefan cel Mare, whose merits for this country and nation cannot be doubted. The Organ Hall (in the past was the City Bank) – the spectacle hall with 500 seats is decorated with the world’s most famous composers sculptural portraits. The Chisinau City hall – this architectural creation was executed in neo-classic style with some Gothic elements. The Cathedral Complex became the embellishment of the main avenue. The Cathedral is realized in architectural forms specific to the Russian Empire Style. Grand National Assembly Square is the largest city square, located on the main highway of the Capital. This place is reserved for manifestations of national importance. The House of Government – here are the head quarters of some Ministers, Departments and Governmental institutions. Free time to enjoy Chisinau city by night. Accommodation in 3* Hotel Elat in downtown Chisinau.

Day 6: Today you will “enjoy “ a piece of life from the communist times, visit monuments and experience one of the latest “bastion” of the communist era – The Transnistria Republic, a republic with apr 550,000 inhabitants, linked 100% with the Russians, and were the communists are still in power. This Republic is almost unique in the world, being recognized just by North Ossetia, another republic in the same situation. City tour of TIRASPOL (the capital of Transnistria) - where the old USSR is still alive and well. This city appeared on Moldova’s map in 1792 during the Russian and Turkish battle near Bender Fortress. In just a few months, a fortress with 3 towers was constructed to strengthen the positions of the Russian Army lead by Alexander Suvorov. After Basarabia’s annexation to Russia, the fortress was transformed into a prison (where, during the Czarist regime, many Decabrists were held). We will visit the cognaq factory KVINT, considered the best in the old USSR, where we will have a cognaq tasting. Here we can stay only 1/2 day due to the political restrictions, so we will try to visit the biggest sport complex in Europe “Sheriff“ and return in Moldova. Departure to Purcari winery the best one in southeastern part of Moldova. The Purcari wines used to be appreciated in Europe alongside the famous wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. They were ordered to the tables of historic figures as the Russian Emperor Nikolay II, English King George V and English Queen Victoria. Their wines used to be sold in Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Germany and France. During the tasting we will drink wines from such varieties of grapes as Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Saperavi, Rara Neagra, also the exquisite wines Rosu de Purcari and Negru de Purcari, which are enjoyed even by the British queen. Accommodation and dinner at Purcari.

Day 7: Further departure to Milestii Mici - a State Enterprise specialized in the production, storage and sales of alcoholic drinks. In August, 2005, it was registered in the Guiness Book of Records for being the biggest Wine Collection in the world. It contains over two millions bottles of wine highly appreciated by the winemakers from all over the world. The wines lie right there, at a depth of 80 meters, in bottles covered with dust and mould, in small elegant houses which are completed every year. We will continue with lunch in a peasant house and visit to Old Orhei - a museum complex that presents the remains of different civilizations established between the Nistru and Prut rivers. Here we will discover the ruins of the “New town” of the Golden Horde called Shehr-al Gedid (XIII-XIVc.), which according to researchers is considered to be one of the Tartars’ capitals during their expansion into Europe and also a turkish bath, very strange the turkish community built not a tatar bath but a turkish one, wonder why? After Moldavian solders regained these territories and a new fortified stone fortress (XVc.), named Orhei, was built. An Orthodox cave monastery called “St. Maria Dormata” was expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries and has been preserved in a functional state. After the visit we will have an another moldovan wine tasting at one of the best Moldovan wineries, Chateaux Vartely. You will have the chance to discover a bouquet of wines which will resemble the dynamism and sophistication of a Moldovan dance, you will be guided to understand Moldova- the only country on the map that resembles by its shape a cluster of grapes.

Day 8: Transfer Chisinau/ Bucharest and departure home.