Russian wine

Russian wine refers to wine made in Russia, at times also including the disputed region of Crimea. The vast majority of Russia's territory is unsuitable for wine growing, with most of the production concentrated in parts of Krasnodar and Rostov regions, as well as Crimea.

The Russian market is characterized by the presence of a large number of low-cost products, with a significant part of local wines having a retail price of less than 100 rubles. Attempts to shift away from the low-quality reputation of Soviet wines has been moderately successful, though four-fifths of wines sold in Russia as of 2013 are still made from grape concentrates.

As of 2014, Russia is ranked 11th worldwide by the extension of vineyards under cultivation. The Russian wine industry is promoted by local authorities as a healthier alternative to spirits, which have a higher alcohol content.

Wild grape vines have grown around the Caspian, Black and Azov seas for thousands of years with evidence of viticulture and cultivation for trade with the Ancient Greeks found along the shores of the Black Sea at Phanagoria and Gorgippia. It is claimed that the Black Sea area is the world's oldest wine region.

The founder of modern commercial wine-making in Russia was Prince Leo Galitzine (1845-1915), who established the first Russian factory of champagne wines at his Crimean estate of Novyi Svet. In 1889 the production of this winery won the Gold Medal at the Paris exhibition in the nomination for sparkling wines, although several years previously the wine regions of Russia had been devastated by the Phylloxera epidemic. In 1891, Galitzine congratulated himself on becoming the surveyor of imperial vineyards at Abrau-Dyurso, where the sparkling wine was produced throughout the 20th century under the brand of Soviet Champagne, or "champagne for the people".

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Wikipedia