Străşeni is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants in central Moldova. It is one of 32 districts (raion, pl. raioane) in Moldova. There are several legends about its name. One tells that in former times this region was covered by forest, and it was a scary, or in Romanian "straşnic", place.

In our days, Străşeni is famous for its delicios wine, the Străşeni vineyard, 12km west of Chişinău, is renowned for its sparkling white wines. This is where you'll find the sprawling vineyards that you might have expected in Cojusna. A little farther north is the Romanesti winery, one of the largest in the business and the one-time leading producer of wines in the USSR. One of its more famous products is a Bordeaux-type red which was the drink of choice for many.