The tiny landlocked country of Moldova in Eastern Europe is one of Europes poorest.
The roads are a bone-shaking ordeal.
Horses haul carts loaded with produce and people.
Geese glare at outsiders, wrote Stephen Sackur forBBC News.
But there is one thing the countrys agriculture-driven economy is rich at, and that is grapes.
Wine is Moldova’s best-known product appreciated throughout the east and the west.
The underground wine cellars of Cricova winery.
Photo credit:FrimuFilms / Shutterstock.com
Moldovas rich tradition of winemaking dates back thousands of years.
Moldovas wineries boasts thousands of hectares of beautifully tended vines, but the real spectacle lies underground.
In the commune of Milestii Mici, is a vast subterranean complex with miles of tunnels filled with wine.
The tunnels belonged to an old limestone mine.
When the mines closed in the late 1960s, the caverns were repurposed into Milestii Micis wine cellar.
The famous Cricova winery with 120 km of underground passages for wine storage.
During the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the winerys large wooden barrels were used for hiding Jews.
Just like Milestii Mici, Cricovas vast subterranean tunnels are givenstreet names, named after popular wines.
Some of the tunnels are so spacious, that even a large truck can drive through them.
He loves Moldavian wine and his personal cellar so much he reportedly celebrated his 50th birthday there.
The wine cellars of Cricova winery.
Photo credit:FrimuFilms / Shutterstock.com
The decor inside Cricova winers underground cellars.
Photo credit:Hans Poldoja/Flickr
A wine fountain outside Milestii Mici Winery.
Photo credit:www.milestii-mici.md
The tunnels and interior of Milestii Mici Winery.
Photo credit:www.milestii-mici.md
The tunnels and interior of Milestii Mici Winery.
Photo credit:Maps / Shutterstock.com
