Chisinau, February 28 (Infotag). The Cricova Winery is investing 20 million lei in the modernization of its vast wine depositories and 6 underground wine-tasting halls.

The corporation’s Director General Valentin Bodiul told a news conference in Infotag today that Moldova’s biggest Agroindbank has agreed to furnish a big credit on preferential terms, which will be payable in 7 years with a 2-year grace period in payments.

A particular attention is being attached to repair and modernization of the famous wine-tasting halls. These works are to be completed by autumn 2006.

Bodiul explained the halls were last repaired about 30 years ago. Since then, these essential facilities have got worn physically and outdated morally, “so we are going to make real masterpieces of art of them. Their general form and traditional specifics will be preserved, but their ventilation system and water/sewage piping etc. will be completely replaced, along with furniture”.

During the repair time, visitors’ access to Cricova will be closed. After that, however, the repositories will come to have a new separate entry to tasting halls for tourists. So soon, access to Cricova will be available to grassroots tourists even at moments when the famous ‘underground kingdom’ is visited by high-ranked official delegations.

In 2005, over 8 thousand people, mostly foreigners, visited the kilometers-long Cricova wine depositories and the tasting halls.

Last year, Cricova realized 10 million bottles of top-quality wines worth 145 million lei – up 16 million lei against 2004. This year, the output is expected to reach 12 million bottles, of which over 65% is intended for exports.

Valentin Bodiul said Cricova is going to plant 100 hectares of own vineyards this spring to thus increase the plantation area to 350 hectares, and to invest 12 million lei in purchasing new technical equipment.

At the news conference, the Cricova administration presented a new exclusive series of elite wines, Cricova Prestige Collection, that includes two sparkling wine varieties – Cricova Cuvee Prestige white and Cricova Cuvee Prestige red dessert, as well as 4 kinds of superb-quality dry still wines – Cabernet-Sauvignon, Codru, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon.