You can stay in a castle hotel, walk through the vineyards and attend tastings not only in popular European wine regions, but also in Russia. Fortunately, we also have a wide selection of wineries, each of which is famous for its own characteristics. We choose the best ones according to your taste: summer and autumn are the best time to go there.
Krymsky district, Moldavanskoe village
The Lefkadia Valley in the Krasnodar Territory is home to a winery, a hotel and a restaurant, as well as the production of agricultural products. The area is characterized by a unique terroir: the French term refers to the combination of climate, soils, grape varieties, and human labor. The sea breeze is felt even on an ordinary walk around local attractions. The French oenologist Patrick Leon was invited to develop the project and the consulting agronomist engineer Gilles Rey, who worked with the Rothschilds in Bordeaux and Chile, was involved.
The name “Lefkadia” is associated with Greek history. It is not surprising, because the territory where the winery is located, in ancient times was part of the Bosphorus kingdom, which united the Greek cities. The peculiarity of the project is that during its existence here every stone of the terroir was studied, only high-quality seedlings were selected and trial vinifications were carried out. In 2021, the Lefkadia Valley entered the Top 50 World’s Best Vineyards, ranking 23rd in the list of the best tourist destinations in the world.
Lefkadia Valley. Photo: VK “Valley of Lefkadia” Valley of Lefkadia. Photo: VK “Valley of Lefkadia” Valley of Lefkadia. Photo: VK “Valley of Lefkadia”
Novorossiysk, the village of Abrau-Dyurso
Abrau-Dyurso is not just a winery, but a whole complex, of which different parts are located on the slopes of the mountains on the shores of Lake Abrau. You can go to a wine and cheese tasting, walk on ecological trails, sit in a cozy restaurant or take a boat ride. There is also a place to stay, there are many comfortable hotels: the Imperial boutique hotel, the Round Lake estate, the new Abrau Light Resort & SPA. For nature lovers – the recreation center “Abrau-Dyurso in floodplains”, the ecological camp “Ecolodgia” and a tourist camp.
Another feature of Abrau are the wine tunnels, where thousands of bottles of sparkling and still wines are aged. The creation of these tunnels began in 1894, then it was expanded with the help of the subway builders. The work was completed only in 1984. On the territory where the Abrau-Dyurso vineyards are now located, millions of years ago there was a seabed. Now the marine minerals give a special flavor to the vines. The soil is dominated by limestone, which makes the area related to the best wine regions in the world: Chablis, Champagne and Franciacorta.
View of the vineyards and Lake Abrau. Photo: VK “Abrau-Durso” View of the vineyards and Lake Abrau. Photo: VK Abrau-Dyurso Vineyards of Abrau-Dyurso. Photo: VK Abrau-Dyurso Vineyards of Abrau-Dyurso. Photo: VK “Abrau-Durso”
Krasnodar Territory, Semigorye subregion
The vineyards of the Sikory estate are located in the Semigorye subregion of the Krasnodar Territory. This picturesque area stretches between Novorossiysk and Anapa. The author of the project is Alexander Sikorsky. In 2011, he bought the land located in the valley from winemaker Gennady Oparin. Vineyards were already located there, but the businessman decided to focus on the production of premium wines, for which he bought vines from a French nursery.
And in 2018, according to the sketch of the French architect Mathieu Brullon, a modern gravity cellar was built: all movements of the wort from one stage to another are carried out under the influence of gravity. It is recommended to test the products to appreciate this unusual technology. You should also pay attention to the enogastronomic dinner on the grill: dishes from the chef of the Sikory estate Maxim Shevtsov await you, accompanied by perfectly matched drinks.
The estate “Sikory”. Photo: VK “Sikory Estate Winery” Sikory Estate. Photo: VK Winery Estate “Sikory”
Temryuk district, Sennoy village
Phanagoria’s predecessor, Sennovsky Winery, was established in 1957. It was a supplier of varietal grape juices for the 1980 Olympics and the 1985 Festival of Youth and Students. The company has one of the largest raw material bases from Russia – vineyards with an area of more than 4 thousand hectares, as well as a grape nursery, about 1 million grafted seedlings per year. In Phanagoria, both classic and native and new grape varieties are grown: Tsimlyansky Black, Siberian, Krasnostop, Solaris, Monarch, Citron Magarach, Saperavi and Varyushkin.
A distinctive feature of the landscape is a large number of mud volcanoes. Experts say that volcanic clay gives many local wines a specific mineral shade. The giant plant “Fanagoria” is worth a visit, if only for the sake of the cooperage, where barrels are made from Caucasian oak. This is a regional exclusive, the cooperage is only in this winery. We advise you not only to look at the process, but also to smell the barrel – it has the aroma of vanilla, caramel and cherry. During the tour, chief cooper Volodymyr Prisyazhnyuk talks about the production: he has been in the trade for more than 20 years.
Vineyards “Fanagoria”. Photo: Telegram @fanagoriawinery
Anapa Municipality, Gai-Kodzor Village
“Gai-Kodzor” is interesting not only as a wine cellar, but also from an architectural point of view. The main building, made of glass, stands on a hill and its glass rooms create a feeling of weightlessness. It is especially nice to admire nature from here with a glass of local rose.
Some visitors will be lucky enough to meet manager and co-owner Eduard Alexandrov at Gai-Kodzor and hear his stories about wine. The ideological inspirers of the project are French winemakers: Alain Dugas, who directed and managed Château La Nerthe, and Noel Rabot, winemaker and advisor to the same winery. In 2012, a young French winemaker David Rieder from Provence joined the project. All three are Gai-Kodzor’s main technical consultants.
Vineyards “Gai-Kodzor”. Photo: gai-kodzor.ru Gai-Kodzor Winery. Photo: gai-kodzor.ru Gai-Kodzor Winery. Photo: gai-kodzor.ru
“Myskhako” is considered one of the oldest wineries in the Krasnodar Territory. Vineyards appeared here as early as 1869, and at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries wines were produced, which were ranked among the best in the country.
A tour of “Myskhako” helps to better understand the history of winemaking in the region. The guides tell about its different stages, show guests the historical cellars and the tasting room, built especially for the arrival of Leonid Brezhnev.
Winery “Myskhako”. Photo: myskhako.ru Myskhako Winery. Photo: myskhako.ru Myskhako Winery. Photo: myskhako.ru
Gelendzhik, street. Fadeeva, 52A
Château de Talu’s story began in 2011, when French wine producer Frank Dussener and his wife arrived in Gelendzhik. Thanks to his advice and help, nine years later, a winery appeared near the city. More than 1 million bottles a year are produced here from their own grapes. The opening of the main building of the winery took place quite recently, in 2021. This is a real palace in the French style, which houses a restaurant, a wine boutique, a bar and several halls for events.
The restaurant’s signature chef is Ilya Zakharov, who has long worked for Boris Zarkov’s White Rabbit Family. Austrian Johannes Myukke and the architecture office AA Partners worked on the interior. The interiors of the winery feature both screen prints depicting birds and carved elements referencing the chinoiserie style popular in Europe in the 18th century. And the combination of mirrors, glass and gold is reminiscent of the interiors of the Palace of Versailles.
Château de Talu winery, main building. Photo: chateaudetalu.ru Vineyards of Château de Talu. Photo: chateaudetalu.ru
