All activities / Music & Culture Festivals / Chisinau
Music & Culture Festivals in Chisinau
National Wine Day (Ziua Nationala a Vinului)
Moldova's capital, a low-rise, green city of Soviet-era boulevards and leafy parks on the Bic river, and the country's hub for museums, food and the surrounding wine regions.
Scheduled and sanctioned by National Office for Vine and Wine (ONVV).
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why here
National Wine Day is the reason to be in Chisinau in early October, when the country's entire wine industry pours into the central square for two days. Held on the first weekend of the month in the Great National Assembly Square, the festival lines up more than a hundred wineries, from the giant underground cellars of Cricova and Milestii Mici to small family estates, each with a tasting pavilion, alongside folk music, traditional food, craft stalls and grape-treading contests. Entry is free, and a dedicated Wine School runs guided tastings and food pairings for anyone who wants to learn rather than just sample. The 2026 edition, on 3 and 4 October, marks the 25th year of the celebration and draws well over a hundred thousand people. For a single weekend it turns the whole national wine map into one walkable square, which makes it the fastest way to taste across Moldova and meet the people who make it.
Best months
National Wine Day falls on the first weekend of October, a two-day open-air event in the central square. October days are mild but evenings cool quickly, so bring a layer, and expect crowds at the busiest pavilions on the Saturday. Buy a tasting glass and tokens on arrival; entry to the square is free. The Wine School sessions are limited and worth arriving early for.
Getting there & around
The festival takes over the Great National Assembly Square on the main boulevard in central Chisinau, walkable from anywhere in the centre and easily reached on foot from city hotels. Book accommodation well ahead, as the first weekend of October is the busiest of the wine-tourism year. No ticket is needed to enter; you pay only for a tasting glass and tokens used at the winery pavilions.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
National Office for Vine and Wine
OrganizerThe National Office for Vine and Wine (ONVV) is Moldova's public body for the wine sector, promoting the country under the Wine of Moldova brand. It organises National Wine Day, the country's largest wine celebration, held each year on the first weekend of October in Chisinau's Great National Assembly Square, where more than a hundred wineries pour their wines. The 2026 edition, on 3 and 4 October, marks the 25th year of the festival.