Asconi Winery: where modern scents meet local sorts

Asconi Winery is one of the places less-known by tourists who visit Moldova. However, this growing family-owned winery, that represents winemaking from its best side, is a must for wine lovers. It is a special winery because the owners keep its quiet, tender and family atmosphere, but also make a profitable and successful business that attracts visitors. While visiting Asconi Winery, you will experience modern scents mixed with local sorts of wine. The Asconi family offer tours, wine tastings and meals. Let me tell you more about this splendid place!

It's a family business 

Being founded in 1994, Asconi Winery is a great example of keeping the original Moldavian traditions, using the best available technologies. Until now, the winery remains a family business without any government support, making their own wine in their special way. Their orientation towards tourism began only in 2015 since they needed to prepare for more publicity and huge amounts of guests. Soon, Asconi Winery will open a hotel with 12 houses, decorated outside and inside in the traditional Moldavian style, with 20 rooms. In addition, there will be a swimming pool, where guests can have great weekends. All of this will be opened in 2019. The Asconi Winery itself is situated on Stefan cel Mare Street 1, in the village Puhoi, Raionul Ialoveni. It is actually best to get there by taxi or car.

Sorts of wines 

Good quality grapes that take almost 500 hectares (about 1230 acres and 5000000 square meters) are planted 10 kilometers away from the winery, in the Geamana village, situated in Anenii Noi. The Asconi family planted different sorts of grapes, starting from French sorts and finishing with the most popular local ones. As today the interest in Riesling, Pinot Noir and Malbec has grown, the winery has almost every sort to impress their guests, even the most selective ones. French sorts are presented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. Feteasca Neagra and Feteasca Alba are the two great sorts of Moldavian local wine, made of black grapes with a clear black currant scent and white grapes with stone-fruit and tropical flavors respectively. They are both semi-dry. In addition, at the winery, you can find their own Ice-wine. As I mentioned in the story about Purcari Winery, this kind of wine is made from frozen grapes at about 8 degrees below zero. They are called dessert wines and will surely steal your heart. The variety of the Asconi wines is practically the same as at other wineries. To keep the wine, the family uses oak barrels and oak staves made of American, Hungarian and French oak. Their wines are not for sale in Moldova. You can buy them only in the Asconi shop because the rest of the wines are exported to the European countries, Chile, Brazil, Australia, the USA, Israel, Africa and others. 

Tours, wine tasting and other events

Like any good winery, the Asconi offers a huge specter of services and other interesting things inside their walls. Firstly, they have tours guided by people who not only know the whole process of winemaking but are also involved in it. Harvesting, grapes pressing, wine-making - you will learn about all the steps of this sacral act. The guides will also show you how the wines are kept in the oak bottles. Secondly, of course, you will taste the wine. Professional sommeliers and winemakers will tell you about all the tips that are necessary to know - how to drink, how to choose what to drink and many other curious things. Thirdly, there are also other options for the winery guests. At Asconi Winery, you can try a traditional restaurant with local dishes, made by special recipes in a truly Moldavian tradition. So, this little family business, where modern scents meet local sorts, always welcomes you within its walls. 

Asconi Winery, Moldova

XHFG+GW, Văsieni, Moldova