If you’ve ever wondered if an urban winery exists, well seek no further! ATU Winery is the answer. Situated at the entrance of the city, the first glance over the building indicates that there is something different about this place. A passion for wine, aesthetics and art have created this interesting combination into the brand that seeks to promote artisanal wines with an urban feel.
The history of ATU Winery starts with the founder Victor Vutcarău, who’s family has always been involved in viniculture. From 2001 they started growing a variety of grapes, currently being the best producer of wine plants on the moldovan and eastern european market. With this involvement and the gathered knowledge, the decision to open up a winery came naturally. From 2016 alongside his wife Vlada, the brand came to life under the name “ATU” which is a romanian word signifying “a strong point”. Besides the vast experience with plants, they are also the only winery in Moldova with it’s own wine nursery which they consider to be one of their main strength.
The production of this winery is a selective one, concentrating on dry and semi sweets wines, including the local moldovan Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră. The main aim being creating high quality wines, they are limited edition with each type coming up in a batch of only 2000 bottles which allows them to give their full attention to every single drop. This is seen also in their production as everything is manually manufactured, from the grape picking all the way up to the bottle labelling. Not to mention the artistic detail that is invested in their brand, a way to promote local talents and urban culture.
Being mostly found on the moldovan market, their wines can also be purchased in a few shops in Austria, Luxembourg, Germany and Romania. But the best way is to visit the winery itself, where Victor or Vlada will take you through the journey of their wine production and the wine tasting experience. They offer 3 options for their visits, packages which give a variety of explorations of their main wines, but also when it’s the season – the young ones. Prices for the tours including wine tasting are in between 10- 18 euros per person. Booking upfront is required, a process easily done through a call, their website or social media. Also you can find them throughout the year at various events and wine exhibitions either in Moldova or in Europe.
To book a visit or find out more about them, check out the following links:
Road To Moldova 