Russian wine refers towine made inRussia, at times also including the disputed region ofCrimea.[1] The vast majority of Russia's territory is unsuitable for grape growing, with most of the production concentrated in parts ofKrasnodar andRostov regions, as well as Crimea.[2]
The Russian market is characterized by the presence of many low-cost products, with a significant part of local wines having a retail price of less than 100 rubles ($1.71).[3] Attempts to shift away from the low-quality reputation of Soviet wines has been moderately successful, though 80% of wines sold in Russia in 2013 were made from grape concentrates.[2]
In 2014 Russia was ranked 11th worldwide by the area ofvineyards under cultivation.[3] The Russian wine industry is promoted by local authorities as a healthier alternative to spirits, which have a higher alcohol content.[4]
Wildgrape vines have grown around theCaspian,Black andAzov seas for thousands of years with evidence ofviticulture andcultivation fortrade with theAncient Greeks found along the shores of theBlack Sea atPhanagoria andGorgippia.[5] It is claimed that the Black Sea area is the world's oldest wine region.[6]
The founder of modern commercial wine-making in Russia was PrinceLev Golitsyn (1845-1915), who established the first Russian factory ofchampagne wines at hisCrimean estate ofNovyi Svet.[7]
After theRussian Revolution of 1917 the French wine-savvy professionals fled Russia, but the industry was gradually reestablished, starting from 1920. According to Denis Puzyrev, before the 1917 Revolution wine was drunk in Russia only by the aristocracy, a situation that only changed under Soviet rule.[8] The wine industry experienced a rebound in the 1940s and 1950s during theSoviet era until the domestic reforms pushed byMikhail Gorbachev in 1985 as part of hiscampaign against alcoholism. After thefall of the Soviet Union, the transition to amarket economy with theprivatization of land saw many of the area's prime vineyard spaces being utilized for other purposes. By 2000 the entire Russian Federation had only 72,000 hectares (180,000 acres) under cultivation, less than half the total area used in the early 1980s.[5]
Semi-sweet and sweet wines account for 80% of the Russian market, a share exceeding 90% in the economy segment.[8] Since 2006, Russian wineries have adopted European techniques and standards. TheAbrau-Durso winery is considered the flagship of the new wine industry.[8]
In 2018 and 2019 several Russian wines were rated byRobert Parker ofThe Wine Advocate and scored between 80 and 97 points.[citation needed]
In 2020 Fanagoria Blanc de Blancs Brut, a 2017 wine from the Fanagoria Estate Winery inFanagoria on theTaman Peninsula, was awarded a gold medal at the "Chardonnay du Monde" ("Chardonnay of the World") international tasting competition.[9]
Since 2020, wine has almost doubled in price, due to an increase inexcise.[10][11]
The "Law on Viticulture and Winemaking" in the Russian Federation entered into force on June 26, 2020; the document enshrines 80 basic concepts for the field of viticulture and winemaking, among them "wine", "fortified wine", "sparkling wine", "grape planting", etc. The bill also defines that products designated as "Russian wine" must be produced exclusively from grapes grown in the country.[12]
The climate of theNorth Caucasus region, where most of Russia's vineyards are located, is typical of acontinental region. To counter the severe winters many vine growers will cover their vines over with soil to protect the vines from frost. In the area ofKrasnodar there are anywhere from 193 to 233 frost free days during the growing seasons that allow the vines in the area to grow to full ripening.
The area ofDagestan has a varied climate with some areassemi-desert. About 13 percent of Russian wine is produced in the area around Stavropol which has 180-190 frost free days. The region ofRostov is characterized by its hot, dry summers and severe winters which produces grapes in lower yields than other parts of the country. NeverthelessRostov is a region with a great diversity of autochthonous grape varieties which originally from the Don Valley including such az Tsimlyankskiy Tchernyi, Kumshatskiy, Krasnostop Zolotovskiy, Plechistik and others[13]
Russia produces wine of several different styles including still,sparkling anddessert wine. Currently there are over 100 different varieties of grapes used in the production of Russian wine. TheRkatsiteli grape accounts for over 45 percent of production. Other varieties grown includeAligote,Cabernet Sauvignon,Cabernet Severny,Clairette blanche,Merlot,Muscat,Pinot gris,Plavai,Portugieser,Riesling,Saperavi,Silvaner,Traminer,[13] andGolubok.[14]
Russia currently has the followingcontrolled appellations that correspond to the sorts ofgrapes:Sibirkovy (Russian:Сибирьковый),[15]Tsimlyanski Cherny (Russian:Цимлянский чёрный),[16]Plechistik (Russian:Плечистик),[17]Narma (Russian:Нарма),[18] andGüliabi Dagestanski (Russian:Гюляби Дагестанский),[19][13]Krasnostop Zolotovsky (Russian:Красностоп Золотовский), Saperavi (Russian:Саперави), Platovsky (Russian:Платовский), Bastardo Magarachsky (Russian:Бастардо Магарачский), Kefesia (Russian:Кефесия), Kokur Belyi (Russian:Кокур Белый).
A Russian wine guide published in 2012 lists 55 wines from 13 wineries, including names such asFanagoria,Lefkadia,Chateau du Talus,Abrau-Durso,Chateau le Grand Vostock.[2] The market is largely fragmented, and even the market share of leading producers (such as Kuban-Vino or Viktoria TD) is below 3%.[4]
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