Winetours Moldova provides interviews about interesting people, working in hospitality and wine tourism in Moldova. Finds out their story, their thoughts about wine, guests they meet and challenges they face.

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Our new guest of the project - The Friday VINterview, is Corina Braducean Dulgher, tourism manager at the winery Branesti Cellars.

                 Pivinitele_Branesti_Corina_Braducean_Dulgher              Pivinitele_Branesti

Since when are you working in wine tourism?
Since I was a child, but if seriously, more than 10 years.

When and how did you get to work at the winery Pivnitele Branesti?
It happened more than 10 years ago. At that time I was only supporting my family in its activity at the winery. Then I have realized that, actually wine tourism is my passion and I am glad that I have managed to transform it into my daily activity. This way I could keep my family's tradition and authentic taste of wine.

Please make a brief presentation of the winery Pivnitele Branesti?
In 70s the winery took over the abandoned galleries of the local stone quarry, stretching over 75km at depth of 68m under the ground, and transformed them into cellars. This way, these undergrounds became home for the first wine collection from Branesti. Our collection wines were awarded with gold, silver and bronze at the international exhibitions from Bordeaux, Saint-Petersburg and Crimea. 

What are the main 3 attractions that make guests choose the winery Pivnitele Branesti?
The winery„Pivnițele Brănești” offers a tourist itinerary through the labyrinth of underground galleries. However, this goes beyond the typical concept of a wine tour. It presents not only the final product, but also offers the possibility to learn about all processes related to production, bottling and storage of wine at constant temperature. Likewise, the winery owns a hotel and restaurant build in stone underground, located at a depth of 25 meters. Here our guests can enjoy traditional dishes paired with tour best wine. In the restaurant there is a fireplace, that will warm the hearts of our visitors in cooler evenings. As well, we offer the possibility to interested people to create their own collection of wines and to keep it under ideal conditions - in the underground galleries of the winery.

Please describe in only few words the guest experience at the winery Pivnitele Branesti.
Rustic ambience, taste and quality of noble wine, traditions.

What’s the oldest bottle in your cellar?
The wine Madeira, year of harvest 1986.

 Pivnitele_Branesti       Pivnitele_Branesti_beci

Are there any places at the winery, where only very special guests have access?
As I already mentioned above, our guests visit all departments of production and wine storage, we have no hidden places.

What remarkable personalities visited the winery Pivnitele Branesti? And from which most distant and exotic countries you received guests?
During our activity we had guests from all over the world on all continents. Some of them even keep their private collections at our winery.

What’s your biggest challenge as a manager at the company Pivnitele Branesti?
I am a kind of person who wants to succeed at first, which is not possible always in tourism. There are lessons to be learned every day, there are things you can not foresee, because in this business you deal with people with different preferences and different expectations. We are constantly developing and improving our services, because we want our guests to come back again.

Have you had guests with exceptional requests? Or maybe you had a curious situation, which you can share with us?
Many of the winery guests know about the fantastic panorama that opens directly from our vineyards on to Orheiul Vechi valley. In 2014, here we hosted a press conference, organized by the National Office for Vine and Wine, where the new concept of the National Wine Day was presented. It was a very nice event, culminating with a wine tasting and traditional snacks. As far as I know, this type of conference, in a such unique format, was organised for the first time in Republica of Moldova.

Do you prepare new offers or services for next season or some surprises for your guests in the near future?
Very soon we will open the doors of the first underground hotel in Moldova. We will also will offer our guests wine baths. But, I don't want to anticipate very much, we will come back with new offers as soon as possible. Of course, we will have special offers on National Wine Day, as we do every year.

    Pivnitele_Branesti_degustare         Pivnitele_Branesti_Brut

Do you recall, when you tasted wine first and what was it?
Of course, it was a home-made sparkling wine, prepared by my dad that. It had special taste and I remember with big fun the arduos process of its preparation.

If you had to pick one red and one white wine, what would you choose?
In a hot summer day I would choose the Brut sparkling wine from Brăneşti, for cold winters Roșu de Brăneşti.

Do you have a passion for something, a hobby, except the wine tourism, of course? 
I love to travel, as travels open up new horizons and help me to develop new ideas and to improve pur services.

Winetours Moldova thanks you for your time and wish luck to the entire team from Pivnitele Branesti.

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