How is Boris the Lada?

Boris is a perfect example of Soviet engineering. He is not a “themed modern vehicle.” He is an actual vintage Soviet Lada with real personality, real history and occasional noises that sound medically concerning but are apparently “completely normal.” Respect him.

Normal winery tours are forgettable. Anyone can arrive in a clean modern minivan. Fewer people arrive in a tiny Soviet legend while driving through Moldovan villages looking like they accidentally joined an Eastern European road movie. The Lada turns the journey into part of the experience.

What’s the vibe of the tour?

Think: beautiful vineyards, underground wine cellars, countryside roads, long lunches and lots of laughter. Somewhere between the Soviet nostalgia, Moldovan hospitality and “just one more glass,” the whole day starts feeling wonderfully surreal.

Do I need to know about wine?

Not at all. If you can: hold a glass, enjoy good food and say “that’s lovely actually”…you’re already doing brilliantly.

What wineries do we visit?

A mix of Moldova’s famous wineries and smaller local favourites. Expect underground tunnels, giant wine collections, countryside estates and enough hospitality to make you briefly consider abandoning your normal life and moving to a vineyard.

What kind of people book this?

Usually adventurous travellers who enjoy unusual experiences, good wine and stories that sound increasingly unbelievable when told back home. This is very much a: “I saw ‘Lada Wine Safari’ and immediately knew I had to do it” kind of tour.

Is Moldova actually worth visiting?

Massively underrated. You get fantastic wine, huge hospitality, almost no tourist crowds and enough Soviet weirdness to keep things interesting. Europe simply hasn’t caught on yet.

Does Boris have personality?

Of course! Somewhere between the engine noise, the Soviet charm and the occasional dramatic hill climb, guests tend to become strangely emotionally attached to the old thing. There have been requests for selfies. And at least one declaration of love.

Is this a serious wine tour?

The wine is serious. We are less serious. You’ll absolutely learn about Moldovan wine and culture…but there may also be conversations about Soviet dashboard design and whether Boris technically counts as a national treasure.

What’s the overall experience like?

Think: great wine, countryside roads, Soviet nostalgia, hidden Moldova and a group of strangers laughing together in a vintage blue Lada somewhere near a vineyard. Small groups. Big pours. Communist horsepower.

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Moldova

The Lada Wine Safari (Moldova)

6 Hours Maximum 4 People Moldova

Overview

Climb aboard our heroic Soviet Lada for a wine adventure to the Cricova and Milesti Mici wineries. Three guests, superb Moldovan wine, huge underground cellars and a suspension that adds character.

This tour is operated by Smiling Grape Wine Tours SRL which is the contracting entity. Payments will be processed by Smiling Grape Wine Tours SRL.

Why This Tour Exists

Standard wine tours give you a minibus. We give you a Soviet-era Lada and a sense of adventure. This tour exists because we realized the best way to experience Moldova isn't through air-conditioned comfort — it's bouncing down country roads in a vehicle that predates your parents' first date, stopping at family wineries where nobody speaks English but everyone speaks wine. The Lada Wine Safari was born from a slightly unhinged idea: what if wine touring felt more like an expedition than a holiday? We found vintage Ladas, trained local drivers who double as guides, and mapped routes through villages that Google has barely heard of. It's chaotic, authentic, and absolutely unforgettable.

Weird Facts You'll Learn

The stuff that makes this tour genuinely different.

The Lada Legacy

Soviet-era Ladas were designed to be fixable by anyone with basic tools. Which is good, because they need fixing regularly. Our fleet is maintained by a mechanic who learned on these cars in 1987.

Village Wine Economics

In some Moldovan villages, wine is literally used as currency. You can pay for vegetables, haircuts, and minor car repairs in bottles of homemade wine. Bring extra.

The Secret Cellars

Many Moldovan families have cellars dating back centuries that appear on no maps. We've been granted access to several. What you'll taste there is available nowhere else on Earth.

Local Legends & Stories

The tales that locals tell — handed down through generations.

The Unbreakable Lada

Local legend tells of a Lada that survived being driven into a river, left in a field for three years, and used as a chicken coop — then started on the first try. We can't verify this, but we've seen our fleet survive some things.

The Grandmother's Blessing

In Moldovan villages, it's said that if a grandmother offers you her homemade wine, you're blessed. If she offers you seconds, you're practically family. If she offers thirds, you're not leaving until tomorrow.

Sip Sense: What to Taste

Your cheat sheet to what you'll be drinking.

House Wine

Homemade village wine — unlabeled, unpretentious, often extraordinary. Every family's blend is different. The real Moldova experience.

Fetească Regală

The 'Royal Fetească' — a crossing of Fetească Albă and Francușa. Aromatic, floral, perfect for summer drinking in a garden with chickens wandering past.

Aged Red Blends

Many families have been aging wine for decades. You may taste something from 1995 poured from an unmarked demijohn. It may be incredible. It definitely will be authentic.

Pro Tip

The Lada has no air conditioning. The windows work (mostly). Embrace the breeze and the slight smell of petrol as part of the experience.

Learn more about Moldova →

Why This Tour is Special

Ride through Moldova in a heroic vintage Soviet Lada
Explore the vast underground wine city of Cricova Winery
Visit the legendary tunnels of Milestii Mici Winery
FREE Moldovan Goody Bag
Three bottles of delicious Moldovan wine

Daily Tour

Available every day - pick your date!

Choose Any Date

Book at least 2 day in advance.

Tour Itinerary

Wine Tasting With Soviet Engineering

We leave Chișinău behind and head into the rolling Moldovan countryside before descending deep underground into the vast wine tunnels of Cricova Winery. Here, the underground streets are named after grape varieties and the cellar roads stretch for kilometres beneath the earth. Somewhere between Cabernet Street and Chardonnay Avenue, it quickly becomes clear that Moldova does not treat wine as a hobby.

Back above ground, the experience continues through vineyard landscapes and countryside roads that provide Boris with a small but meaningful suspension workout. Along the way there are stories of Moldova, wine traditions, Soviet oddities and occasional pauses for the Lada to cool down and reconsider its engineering choices.

Lunch is served at another winery where generous local dishes arrive alongside excellent Moldovan wines and long pours that suggest nobody is in a hurry.

After lunch we descend once again into another underground kingdom at Milestii Mici Winery, home to one of the world’s largest wine collections and enough bottles to outlast several governments. Expect excellent wine, curious history, rural scenery and a healthy amount of Soviet-era character throughout the day.

Small group. Big cellars. One unforgettable hosted journey through Moldova’s wine world.

This hosted experience includes travelling alongside your guide in Boris, our wonderful Soviet-era Lada. More than simply getting from one place to another, Boris forms part of the character and atmosphere of the day, offering a nostalgic glimpse into a different era of travel and Moldovan life. It's also a perfect way to understand Boris' heritage and why the Soviets made over 30 million cars with the aerodynamic profile of a wardrobe.

What's Included

Hosted Moldova wine experience with Boris the vintage Soviet Lada appearing throughout the day

Calm driver who treats potholes as a personal challenge

Slightly over-enthusiastic British wine host

Entry and underground adventure at Cricova Winery

Vineyard views, countryside stops and plenty of photo opportunities

Lunch of delicious local dishes and plenty of wine

Visit to the enormous wine tunnels of Mileștii Mici Winery

Several glasses of excellent Moldovan wine to assist with “cultural appreciation”

Emergency water for responsible hydration (and tomorrow morning)

Three bottles of delicious Moldovan wine

Moldovan goody bag

What's Not Included

Luxury suspension

The ability to stop buying wine once you start

Practical Info

Getting There

Meet us in Moldova. Exact meeting point sent after booking - usually somewhere central with good coffee nearby. A perfect chance to prepare yourself mentally for the sentence: “Yes, we’re touring wineries in a vintage Soviet Lada.” Which somehow becomes completely normal within about twenty minutes.

What to Pack

Comfortable clothes, sunglasses and a healthy respect for Soviet engineering. Also recommended: camera, portable charger, light layers, trousers capable of surviving heroic Moldovan lunches. You do not need luxury safari gear. This is less “African expedition” and more: “wine-fuelled road trip with personality.”

Best Time to Visit

Spring and autumn are perfect for vineyards, countryside views and pretending you’re in an Eastern European road movie. Summer is glorious too, although Boris the Lada occasionally treats air conditioning as more of a philosophical concept.

Good to Know

Yes, the Lada is real. People wave at it. Strangers occasionally ask to take photos with it. The tour combines wineries, countryside, Soviet weirdness and the unique joy of travelling in a vehicle that sounds permanently moments away from achieving something heroic. Oddly enough, guests tend to love Boris by the end of the day almost as much as the wine.