For years, we had our sights set on participating in a grape harvest. As the golden months of summer dwindled, and Europe’s grapes grew plumper and riper, we decided to meander to Moldova to meet the newest vintage.
It’s said that a whopping 25% of Moldova’s working population is involved in winemaking, and we instantly sensed this upon our arrival in the Eastern European country. Much of the autumnal landscape was dotted with vineyards, grape motifs favored heavily on the village architecture, and winemakers of the amateur and professional sort abounded.
One of our first nights in the country, locals spotted us strolling the streets of a quiet village, and asked us if we wanted to try a glass of wine at their home. (Of course we said yes!) This warm extension of hospitality would continue for nearly one month, even as we hopped from locale to locale. Sometimes we were offered golden bunches of grapes, while at other moments we were given a generous glass of homemade wine.
Family, Innovation & Tradition
Moldova has a history of winemaking that spans nearly five millennia. Upon arriving here, we yearned to discover the perfect blend of familial tradition and modern winemaking techniques. My husband, Shawn and I found this ideal combination at the Et Cetera Winery in the southeastern part of the country. We spent three days with a winemaking family, the Luchianovs – a Moldovan bunch who have built their business from scratch. Spanning several generations, the visit reminded us why we’re so fond of family-run enterprises. From the grandparents cooking delicious, hearty fare and constructing new structures, to their children making magic with the grapes and entertaining their domestic and international guests, the family exuded passion, an attention to detail, and a desire to help their country flourish, despite its economic challenges. The Luchianovs also exhibited another trait that I’ve come to respect greatly – they are mostly autodidactic. I never would have guessed that they were largely self-taught, because what they produce is exemplary.
As we entered the Et Cetera Winery grounds in Crocmaz, not far from the Ukrainian border, I had flashbacks of Napa, Italy, and even Burgundy. We’d already seen some of Moldova’s most celebrated monasteries, toured two of the country’s well-known wineries, and mingled with locals in a tiny village, but now we were ready to slow down a bit. Here, we would focus on nature and the behind-the-scenes activities that make a winery tick.
Our Et Cetera Experience
One afternoon, Shawn and I stared out into the vast vineyards, with garnet-hued, first-rate glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon in our hands. During another sun-drenched hour, we harvested grapes alongside Luchianov family friends. We also watched the Luchianov matriarchs whip up Moldova’s beloved Plăcintă, a multi-layered Phyllo-dough pastry, like pros. The ladies gently mentored young staff members from the neighboring village, and mischievously called us over to capture the blanket-like layers being placed into the iron pans.
Other moments found us shadowing with winemaker Alexandru and his brother, Igor, as they checked in with the grapes and the guests. We mingled with their wives, Daniela and Olga, who are skilled in the culinary arts and public relations. Daniela whipped up all types of memorable dishes using locally-sourced ingredients: an elegant parmesan soup, grilled chicken and vegetables, a range of savory and sweetened brie appetizers, pumpkin-cream soup, homemade cookies, bread, honey and preserves. All the while, the third generation of Luchianov girls – perhaps Et Cetera’s next group of winemakers – tinkered about outside. They rode a scooter, created chalk masterpieces, hugged the family kitten, Tom, and napped as their grandparents looked on. As Daniela so aptly said one night over dinner, “This isn’t our job; it’s a lifestyle.”
Since Et Cetera is one of a few wineries in the developing southeast of Moldova, we felt lucky to have seen the winery in its early days, before the region booms. Over the course of three days, we’d chat with the Luchianovs to get a feel for what inspired them to open a winery. Those were the kind of conversations that would inspire most anyone to open a winery or start a small business. However, lest I make it all sound too romantic and carefree, let me say that I’ve rarely seen a more hard-working team. Though the operation looks picturesque to guests, behind the scenes the family works like a colony of bees. Their motivational words follow, in interview format, lending our dinnertime and vineyard-side conversations a more authentic air.
An Interview with Et Cetera’s Founders
Tricia: How did your family decide to open a winery?
Alex: For me, opening a winery was a hobby and a dream. The idea was born for me when I was working in the United States, where I started taking an even greater liking to wine, thanks to some friends from the UK. At one point, I thought to myself, “Moldova is a wine country… I’ll come back home!” I then practiced for seven years before we opened the winery.
Igor: I also fell in love with wine when I was working in the United States. In Moldova’s villages, everyone makes home-style wine. We planted the vineyards in 2003 using grape plants from Italy, Romania and Georgia, and had our first harvest in 2005. We produced 3,000 bottles, even without the technology we have now. We only had one pump and one tank. We then built the winery in 2009. Next year, we’re planning to build a hotel on the grounds, since right now, there’s only one hotel situated between the capital of Chisinau and the city of Stefan Voda.
Tricia: What do you most enjoy about running Et Cetera?
Igor: Our guests say they feel so good here – like they’re at home. They say, “You must be the happiest people in the world. It’s like heaven here.” It is absolutely a lot of fun. They have so many questions for us, and it’s fun answering them. Because this business is a hobby for us, it’s a pleasure.
Daniela: This isn’t our job – it’s a lifestyle. It’s our work, but it doesn’t feel like work because we enjoy it! I get to meet lots of interesting people, and share a part of me. There’s always this feeling of adrenaline, because everything is new.
Tricia: Why the name, ‘Et Cetera?’
Daniela: The name describes our journey. We started with just an idea, and step by step, slowly… we’ve grown.
Tricia: What makes Et Cetera special?
Igor: What makes Et Cetera special is our wine’s quality. If it doesn’t meet quality standards, it doesn’t go to market. We’re also one of the only wineries in Moldova that’s situated in the heart of a vineyard. From the winemaking, to the cooking, and constructing, everything’s being family-run too.
Also, the world needs to know about Moldova. We’re something new – something that’s exciting to discover!
Our Video of This Experience:
Where in the World?
Planning Pointers:
- To get to Et Cetera Winery, you have a few options. Contact Et Cetera Winery via their website, or by email { tourism@etcetera.md } and they will organize the visit for you, or coordinate with a tour organizer that works within the country. If you’re feeling more adventurous, it is also possible to access the winery via minibuses headed to Odessa. We made this trip, in reverse, hopping on a bus originating in Odessa and headed to Chisinau. The stop nearest the winery is called Kaplani or каплань. Next year the family anticipates building an on-site hotel, but for the moment, it’s possible to spend a day at the winery. They can recommend other lodging options in the region. Whatever transportation option you choose, the family asks that you please coordinate your visit with Et Cetera in advance. The journey from Chisinau to Et Cetera by car takes about 2 hours.
- To view bus routes and schedules throughout Moldova, visit the following transportation website (in Romanian-Moldovan).
- To learn more about Moldova’s wine history, visit the Wine of Moldova brand site.
- Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Moldova.
Disclosure & Thanks:
Our visit to Et Cetera Winery was supported by the Luchianov family to which we extend thanks.
To Daniela and Igor, Olga and Alexandru, and their parents, we send out an extra special thank you, or mulțumesc, for allowing us to tell such a fun story.
Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. Video footage is courtesy of my husband, Shawn.
Travels With Tricia 
What a fantastic experience :) Thank for you writing about a country that most people know very little about :)
Shikha, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed this peek into a Moldovan winery. You’re right that many people know so little about Moldova. (I fell into that category before our trip too.) It’s a pity that it’s rather unknown because the small country has a lot to offer the intrepid traveler and wine lovers. :) Is it a place you’ve been to?
Sadly no…. funnily enough, very recently I came to know that a work colleague is from Moldova… I must shamefully admit that I did not know about this country until then.
Travel and mingling with others from around the world can be a great teacher, can’t it? :) I wonder if your Moldovan colleague likes the Plăcintă pastry featured here? Even though I couldn’t eat it, the foodie in me appreciated the varied spins different cooks put on the recipe – some sweet, others savory.
Wish you a wonderful day in NY!
Thanks for sharing this experience – how I would love to try those wines (and food!) It’s wonderful that these people were able to fulfill their dream!
The family’s journey is inspiring, isn’t it, Marilyn? :) If you want to try Moldovan wine, you’re in luck, because it’s finding its way into North American wine shops more and more. As for the food, if you appreciate polenta, you might like Moldova’s popular dish, Mămăligă. I haven’t made this exact recipe, but it seems to capture the spirit of the dish:
http://www.gourmet-european-recipes.com/mamaliga-recipes.html
Likewise, if you like Phyllo-dough savory treats, give Plăcintă (similar to what the family makes in my blogpost) a whirl.
http://homecookinginmontana.blogspot.de/2009/12/cheese-burek-or-placinta-de.html
Happy experimenting, and thanks as always for reading!
Tricia, your posts are as usual inspiring , educating and filled with beautiful images. Makes me wanting to pack my suitcase and go on travelling. Indeed Moldova is still rather unknown, yet you both have the amazing talent to show it’s hidden beauty. Are you enjoying Christmas time in Oberammergau by now, with the view of snow covered mountains?
Hi Cornelia, thank you for the kudos. I do hope that you’ll be able to visit Moldova sometime soon. Do you have any plans to return to Germany?
At the moment the mountains overlooking Oberammergau are not dusted in snow. To get in the holiday spirit, however, we’re just about to enjoy a mug of hot Glühwein. We’ll toast to you. Thanks, as always, for reading.
Beautiful
Exploring the Unexplored, indeed the scenery of Et Cetera and the people there are wonderful!
This winery really is an example of keeping it in the family. It looks like they have a wonderful way of life. I enjoyed your gorgeous photos Tricia.
Carol, thanks so much for your compliments about the pictures. With the sun overhead and those alluring grapes all around, my camera was working overtime. I took a few thousand pictures in Moldova. :)
Don’t you love digital cameras!
A great post, and of course more wine.
Glad you enjoyed it, Mark – cheers, and thanks for reading! :)
What a great experience and life I have found within your photos and stories of Moldova (and other places too I should add)… While I have seen many a vineyard (Napa Valley and the Willamette Valley), this place looks so special. Enjoy your travels and the holiday season!
That’s high praise coming from a talented photographer and storyteller such as yourself. Thank you, Randall.
While I’ve had the chance to see a bit of Napa, I would love to see Oregon’s wine country too. We focused on the photogenic Oregon Coast two summers ago, and I loved the vitality of Portland, but didn’t get to the Willamette Valley.
I wish you and your family a beautiful holiday season as well. Thanks for reading and always adding to the conversation.
It is intriguing that both Alex and Igor were inspired to start their own winery in Moldova after having experienced the business in the United States. Is this becoming a more popular story among other entrepreneurs returning to their Eastern European homelands?
Bespoke Traveler, an interesting question! We did meet a few others who’d spent a significant amount of time in the United States, then returned to Moldova to start a business. Another interesting Moldovan entrepreneur that we met (I coincidentally just penned a tale of goodwill about him today) eventually started a fruit-growing and cold-storage business in Moldova too.
I do love how spending time in a new place allows me to see life back home in a new light. I suspect that’s the case with some of these entrepreneurs too. :)
Thanks for reading; I always appreciate your thoughtful comments and questions.
That must have been a wonderful visit. I think I would have liked to be a professional winemaker. Since life didn’t go that way I enjoy winemaking as a hobby. My specialty is mead making. Mead is made by mixing honey and water and fermenting it.
Thank you for sharing. Your pictures are beautiful.
Gerard, professional or hobbyist, it’s lovely that you get to pursue your passion. Thanks to your comment I’ve also learned something new, as I’d never heard of mead making. How long have you been making mead, and how long does the average batch of mead take to make?
It would be really interesting to read all about it in one of your future stories (hint, hint)!
A batch of mead usually takes 7 months to make. I’ve been making mead since the 1980s.
Thank you for your suggestion.
Sounds intriguing! Would you say that it’s a good holiday beverage, Gerard?
It’s an excellent holiday beverage. There is a wide variety of different meads ranging from dry to sweet, low alcohol to strong, spiced, sparkling or non-sparkling, etc.
I have some that I made from apple blossom honey and apple juice. It’s 18% or 19% alcohol by volume. It has a big flavor. I also have some that I made from golden rod honey and malt and it’s also 18% or 19% by volume. They’re great for holidays. They go good with food and they’re good by themselves.
18 or 19%? Wow. I’ll have so see if we can find any here in Germany – thanks for the detailed overview, Gerard. :)
I’m also curious how you got into making mead. Did you take a class, or did you teach yourself?
I learned how to make it on my own. When I was a teenager I was interested in winemaking. I made wine with different kinds of fruits. When I heard about mead I was intrigued and made some.
Mead is also known as honey wine. There is also a mead / beer style called braggot which is a mixture of malt and honey.
Gerard, you’ve definitely piqued our curiosity about mead and other types of wine made with fruit. When we were in Laos, we tried mulberry wine for the first time at a silk farm. (The silk worms ate the mulberry leaves, and then the berries could be fermented to make wine.)
Cheers to you, and all the best this holiday season! It’s been fun learning from you this year, and having you join in the conversation. :)
Thank you Tricia. I’ve learned a lot from you the past year too.
Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
That egg filling looks scrumptious!
Vonnie, I wish I could say that I tried it, but the gluten-laden pastry meant I couldn’t. More than a year later, my husband still talks about these plăcinte. :)