Ruby Wine will take place in the heart of Moldova — Chisinau.
Are you still thinking why should you come to Ruby Wine conference and visit Moldova? We are delighted to present 8 reasons why should you visit us!
5 min — 1 aricle
And you will be looking for the first flight to MOLDOVA
1. Wine
If you are a wine lover, or you haven’t even tried this drink yet, you will never find a better place to do it than in Moldova. You probably didn’t know this, but Moldova produces some of the finest wine in the world. Even the country is in the form of a grape bunch. Moldova is also a home to the world’s largest wine cellar in Mileștii Mici. There are nearly 2 million bottles in there and this fascinating underground cellar is over 200 km long! Moldovan wine is delicious and affordable: an amazing combination. Also you can visit The Cricova Wine Complex, which is a unique underground complex, known worldwide for its huge labyrinths and especially for its excellent wines and it’s only 15 km away from Chisinau.
2. The internet — 6th place in the world at speed
Republic of Moldova consolidates its position in international rankings regarding the speed of the Internet. According to the study of Netindex, Moldova is on the 6th place at download and upload speed with 40,61 Mbps and 60,01 Mbps. According to the data of Netindex, at 31 of March 2014, the average speed of internet in Moldova was only 31,4 Mbps, but it escalated quickly with 10 places in just 7 months.
3. Traditional food
If you like to eat good and tasty food then bring your appetite with you and come here.
I will show you 4 foods you MUST to try when you come in Moldova :
1 — SARMALE
Sarmale (sar-moll-ayy) is a typical Moldovan dish that also appears in many other parts of the world in slightly different varieties.
The most common type of sarmale is cabbage leaves or peppers, stuffed with seasoned rice, mixed with chopped peppers, carrots and a few other vegetables, then baked in oil for a few hours.
2 — MAMALIGA
Mamaliga (mama-leegah) is the Moldovan equivalent of cornbread — a much softer cornbread. Typically this dish is served with shaved brinza (salty, homemade cheese) and meat or fish, but sometimes there’s sour cream or garlic on the side, or it’s crushed into a bowl of hot milk. It’s the perfect combination of hearty, salty and tasty, if done right and, most importantly, eaten fresh. If you want to taste Moldova, order fried fish, brinza, sour cream, garlic and mamaliga — it’s a unique combination of tastes and textures unlike anything else.
3 — ZEAMA
Zeama (Zama) is a traditional Moldovan soup made and eaten year-round, usually for lunch. I would say that the closest American equivalent is chicken noodle soup, but even your grandmother’s homemade version doesn’t reach zeama standards.
4 — PLACINTA
Placinta (pla-chin-ta) is everywhere here. It’s impossible to miss; in just about every alimentara (convenience store), Placinta is fried bread with filling, usually brinza (homemade cheese), varza (cabbage) or cartofi (potatoes). In the fall you see bostan (pumpkin) placintas, in the summer with visine (sour cherries) and year-round you may find an an apple placinta or a meat placinta.
4. Get the most out of your $
Great news — Moldova is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, so if you enjoy having fun, but also enjoy saving your money — this is the perfect place for you. This means everything is a lot cheaper than you can even imagine. Take a look at these to get an idea about the prices in Moldova. A one-way ticket for the tramway in the capital, Chișinău costs 7 cents. A monthly pass costs around $10 USD. 500 ml of beer will cost you 75 cents in the shop and $1.5 USD in the bar. There are hostels for $6 USD per night and hotels for $15 USD per night, which is really cheap for European standards.
5. Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe
The IT industry is growing very fast in Moldova and the Moldovan government identified ICT as a priority sector for economic development.
Moldova acts like friendly eco-system for startups and IT development, so that a lot of great companies appeared, such as: Salt Edge — an industry-leading financial technology company with offices in Toronto, London and Chisina; XOR — one of Moldova’s most well-known startups; Endava — a global IT service company with almost 5000 employees around the world; and many others.
In Moldova you’ll find lots of Tech spaces and IT hubs where you can grow your ideas. Tekwil, IHUB, Generator Hub, or Armeneaca 13 are just some of them.
We’re very grateful to have Tekwill as our host for Ruby Wine conference.
6. One of the greenest capital city in Europe
A lot of people will tell you that Chișinău is arguably the most boring capital city in Europe. I’m not one of those people. Chișinău is a vibrant city with cheerful people, nice green parks, and good wine. The city has mainly Soviet architecture but a lot of parks and green surfaces that add to its unique charm. To add to that, the countryside surrounding the capital is gorgeous and the life in the villages is really interesting and something you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. In Moldova, there’s a saying that translates to “The one who failed to build a home, raise a child, and plant a tree has wasted his life”. That’s probably one reason why Moldova is so green.
7. Our hospitable and warm — hearted people
Moldovan people are really hospitable even though they might come across as cold in the beginning. But once you get to know some of them you’ll see that they are very cheerful and like to sing and dance much more than other Eastern European people. Moldovan girls are also among the most beautiful girls in the world. Most Moldovans speak either Romanian or Russian but there’s also another regional language- Gagauz. It’s a Turkic language classified as critically endangered by UNESCO. And you might not think so but Moldovans have a very rich culture and some very interesting traditions, music and dances.
8. Breathtaking landscapes
Moldova has some pretty bad roads but there are some really amazing landscapes you can see while traveling around. Moldova is a hilly country with most of its hills covered with lush green forests. The autumn season is especially beautiful when the forests get golden-red. Moldova has an amazing nature and some stunning sceneries.
I really want to help you, so I will suggest the first destination — Ruby Wine — the event that will help you to better understand the warmth of Moldovan people’s hearts, to spend a great time in a wonderful place (Tekwill), and to discover the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe.
So buy your tickets for 13th of April and see you soon!
