Château Purcari

The estate sits in the southeast corner of Moldova near the Ukrainian border — two hours from Chișinău through countryside that gets progressively quieter. The Negru de Purcari won medals at Paris exhibitions in the 1800s when Moldova was part of the Russian Empire, and it's still the flagship. The restored estate has proper tasting rooms and tour infrastructure. Go in autumn when the vines are turning. The drive back with a couple of bottles is one of those afternoons that makes the trip worthwhile.