It is customary to start the history of Russian winemaking from the beginning of the XNUMXth century. As the founder of Russian winemaking, Prince L.S. Golitsyn, it was at this time that the first vineyards appeared in the Astrakhan region.
The first attempts
Peter I, and then Queen Elizabeth tried to import Hungarian wines to Russia, but their attempts ended in failure. Then Catherine II decided to develop viticulture and winemaking within the country. Prince Potemkin generously distributed the lands of the Crimea for vineyards and ordered vines and winemakers from Europe.
Beginning of industrial production of wines
At the end of the ninth century Prince Lev Golitsyn began to grow Saperavi and Mourveder grapes on his estate in the Crimea and produce wines. Soon, Crimean wines began to be bought not only on the peninsula, but also in Moscow.
In 1878, the prince bought the place Paradise from the Georgian prince Kherkheulidzev, which was renamed the New World. It was here that Golitsyn established the industrial production of high-quality grape wines. The finished wine was stored in the cellars of Mount Koba-Kaya. On the recommendation of L.S. Golitsyn, later the production of sparkling wines was established in Abrau-Dyurso.
Prince Golitsyn experimented a lot with grape varieties, but preferred varieties from Europe.
During the Soviet era
After the end of Prohibition, introduced with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, in the 20s. 1928th century intensive restoration of old and construction of new factories for the production of wines in the south of Russia and throughout the Soviet Union began. In XNUMX, the production of the famous “Soviet champagne” was launched in Abrau-Durso. Soviet wines often received awards at international competitions.
Unfortunately, during the years of perestroika, winemaking in the USSR suffered significant damage. Many vineyards, including those on the southern coast of Crimea, were cut down. As a result, almost 80% of Russian wine is still produced from imported raw materials. Some of the wineries were re-profiled for the production of juices and other non-alcoholic products.
Only in recent years, Russian winemaking began to revive and develop. The main areas for growing grapes on an industrial scale include:
- North Caucasus;
- Rostov region;
- Krasnodar region.
In 2020, the “Law on Viticulture and Winemaking in the Russian Federation” was adopted. It is planned to develop a special state program for the development of Russian winemaking and viticulture.
You can learn the secrets of the right choice of wine on the Encyclopedia of Wine Culture website.