Audio guide “Wine and winemaking in Russia.”
1 - Welcome
-Hello, dear friends! My name is Pyotr Kuleshov, I am an actor and TV presenter. Today I will tell you about what awaits you in the Russian Winemaking Pavilion as part of the Russia exhibition-forum. About 20 wineries from the main wine-growing regions of the country are represented here at the same time. So that you can get the most complete picture of Russian winemaking and its accomplishments.
2 - Historical overview
- Let's start with history. Imagine: 17th century, the year 1613, Volga river, Astrakhan region, Trinity Monastery. By the order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, a small vineyard is planted here: enough for 200 barrels of wine per year. The thing is that European countries, the main suppliers of wine, periodically banned its export. And wine in Russia is necessary for church sacraments - communion. So the issue of import substitution began more than 400 years ago. In the 18th century, Peter the Great and his daughter Empress Elizabeth did a lot for the development of Russian winemaking. Don and Crimean wines were glorified by the great poet Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin: that same person who blessed Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. By the way, here is a fragment from “Eugene Onegin”: “between the roast and blanc mange “They are already serving Tsimlyanskoe!”
3 - Winemaking in Russia: general information
- Especially for you, dear friends, I have selected five interesting current facts about our Russian winemaking. So, listen carefully: today every second bottle of wine on the shelves of our stores is domestically produced; there are more than 250 wineries operating in Russia; the area of vineyards in our country is over one hundred thousand hectares; government investment in the industry will grow by forty percent in the future. Impressive, isn't it? The Russian Winemaking pavilion presents wineries from Kuban, Crimea, and the Rostov region at individual stands stylized as barrels for aging wines. Stands numbered from one to six represent the products of Kuban winemakers. You can find wines from the Kuban-Don-Crimea region at stands numbered seven to ten. They are located to the left of the main entrance. Stands of leading wine producers from Crimea - from eleven to seventeen, in the hall to the right of the main entrance.
Nowadays, grapes are grown and wine is produced in nine regions of the country! I will tell you more about some of them.
4 - Winemaking of Crimea: the history
- Let's start with the gorgeous Crimea. The first wine was produced here in ancient times, about two and a half thousand years ago. In the 18th century, Crimea became part of the Russian Empire. And the development of winemaking becomes the issue of special attention of the reigning figures. Special orders are issued by Emperors Pavel, Alexander and Nicholas I. Those wishing to engage in winemaking in Crimea are provided with serious benefits. In the Yalta region, by the mid-19th century, there were about 1,600 hectares of vineyards with an annual export of over 200 thousand deciliters of wine. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, vineyards were concentrated mainly on the southern coast of Crimea from Feodosia to Sevastopol, as well as in the foothills of Crimea, along the Kachi and Belbek valleys. The annual volume of wine production reaches a million deciliters!


5 - “Novyi Svet”, Lev Golitsyn: the history
- Perhaps the most famous brand of that glorious time, which retains its status today, is “Novyi Svet”. In 1878, Prince Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn acquired an estate in Crimea and decided to start winemaking. He really wanted to create exquisite Russian wine. The result of many years of work was impressive. In 1900, at the World Exhibition in Paris, the new Golitsyn champagne “Paradisio” received the highest award, the Grand Prix. It was a real resounding success! Today, the “Novyi Svet” winery produces 25 brands of sparkling wines; the renowned enterprise can produce up to two million bottles a year.
6 - Current Crimean winemaking
- We can and we should talk about modern Crimean winemaking! – As there are a lot of interesting things to mention. Today, the total area of vineyards in Crimea exceeds 21 thousand hectares. The harvest is more than one hundred thousand tons per year. And you know, friends, here in Crimea, more than a hundred varieties of grapes are grown! Experts say that a real revolution is now taking place in viticulture and winemaking in Crimea: funding is becoming available in the industry, vineyard areas are growing, new brands are appearing, and wine tourism is developing. There are about two dozen wineries in Crimea. They produce about 8 million deciliters of wine per year, that is, more than a hundred million bottles, just imagine that! In addition, Crimea today is the center of organic viticulture. And, by the way, imported wines occupy no more than 10-15% of the shelves here, even in large chain supermarkets. “Drink Crimean!” - this is the modern motto of both Crimeans and tourists. Crimean wines sell especially well in Moscow, the Moscow region, and St. Petersburg.
7 - Winemaking of Crimea: current brands
- And now I will tell you about the leading modern Crimean winemaking enterprises. For example, “Zolotaya Balka” is the only one in Crimea that produces high-quality sparkling wine from its own grape varieties. The famous collection of the legendary “Massandra”, more than a million bottles, is known throughout the world. The products of the Inkerman Vintage Wine Factory are aged in the unique conditions of underground adits. Excellent signature wines from their own grapes are created at the Vivandière winery under the guidance of the French master Patrice Le Lann. By the way, the famous winemaker moved to Crimea from Burgundy itself! Signature wines with a real Crimean character are produced at the winery of Valery Zakharyin, who develops local grape varieties and strictly monitors the quality of the products.
8 - Now we will move to the Don Valley, where “autochthonous” grapes are of particular interest, that is, characteristic only of a specific area: Krasnostop Zolotovsky, Tsimlyansky Cherny, Kumshatsky, Plechistik and Platovsky. At stand number 9, the most literary wine in Russia is presented - this is the Tsimlyansky wines brand. It is Tsimlyanskoe that is mentioned in the works of the great classics of Russian literature: Pushkin and Lermontov, Nekrasov and Turgenev, Chekhov and many others.
9 - Winemaking of Kuban: the history
- And now fancy being transferred to the flourishing Krasnodar region, to Kuban. The history of Kuban winemaking begins in the middle of the 19th century. The Caucasian governor of Emperor Nicholas I, Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, creates a system of state subsidizing. Land can be purchased on preferential terms, but only for your own vineyard. In the 1860s, the outstanding agronomist Fyodor Ivanovich Geiduk studied the climatic conditions and soils of the Black Sea coast of Kuban and found them very favorable for viticulture. It was Geiduk who for the first time imported seedlings of the Riesling and Portugeeser varieties to the Novorossiysk region. Over time, they are supplemented by other European vines. In 1869, vineyards were planted in Myskhako on the Black Sea coast near Novorossiysk. Cabernet Myskhako gained fame as one of the best red wines of the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1894, Prince Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn, already familiar to us from the “Novyi Svet,” founded the Abrau-Durso winery, next to the settlement of the same name on the Kuban Black Sea slopes of the Caucasus. In 1902, speaking to the winemakers of Kuban, Golitsyn recommended choosing suitable grape varieties for the available land - or, actually, choosing land for grape varieties, that is, “planting varieties according to the area.” Anapa Cabernet and Tuapse Riesling are mentioned as successful examples.
10 - Modern Kuban winemaking
- Today Kuban is a recognized leader in viticulture and winemaking in Russia. The unique geographical location and climate, as well as special soils, are ideal for growing grapes. Kuban is a third of all vineyards in Russia with a total area of more than 27 thousand hectares. Kuban wineries produce 45 percent of Russian wine, 37 percent of Russian champagne and 45 percent of Russian liqueur wine. The total volume of wine production exceeds 20 million deciliters. The following European varieties are common in Kuban - Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc.
11 - Kuban winemaking: current brands
- Nowadays, 65 specialized wineries and 150 small enterprises are engaged in growing grapes in the Kuban region. Among the leading and most famous producers are the companies “Abrau-Durso”, “Kuban-Vino”, “Chateau de Talu”, “Divnomorskoe Estate”, “Krinitsa”, “Tristoria Winery”, “Arrati”, “Sober Bash” and“ Two Peters." Certainly, each winery has its own specific features and technological secrets, but all Kuban wines are traditionally distinguished by their rich taste, unique aroma and high quality. All these brands are represented in the Russian Winemaking Pavilion.
12 – The Final
- The mankind has been growing grapes and drinking wine for about four thousand years. And the first place in the world in terms of cultivated areas is occupied by wine grape varieties. The vast geography of Russian winemaking stretches from the Volga river and Kuban to the Caucasus and Crimea. Russia is one of the leading wine-producing countries in the world. And modern Russian wines are gaining genuine popularity today! Professional experts say that now every third Russian prefers domestic wines. The exhibition program of the exhibition-fair "Winemaking of Russia" is interesting and extensive. These include master classes and tastings, where you can communicate with the best winemakers in the country, a themed VR cinema; interactive toasts, a series of educational lectures from the “Russian Wine School”. You will definitely enjoy the opportunity to buy wines from leading enterprises at special prices and choose gifts for friends and family. And one more thing: I, Pyotr Kuleshov, will host a series of educational games “My Wine”. Every visitor to the Russian Winemaking pavilion will find a format suitable for themselves in order to learn as much as possible about Russian wine and those who create it. This concludes my story and thank you for your attention! Till next time!