Former Soviet Wine

Russia | Moldova | Ukraine – 9 Day Tour from US$ 2475

This former Soviet wine tour will ensure that bragging rights at your wine club meeting will be off the scale. Not too many people follow this route and get to taste and experience the unusual wineries we find here. We visit the Black Sea coast vineyards of Russia plus two former USSR countries in the shape of Moldova and Ukraine.

Let’s assume you start our triangle in Russia but of course, we can customize everything to suit and start wherever you like. We build our tours around your international flights and to match where you go next, so just let us know what you are thinking, or what your parameters are and we can go from there.

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Former USSR Wine Tour Highlights:

• Way off the beaten track ex-USSR wineries and distilleries
• Visit some very unusual wine regions in Russia, Moldova, and Ukraine
• Descend an old mine and walk the Soviet wine tunnels of Sauk Dere
• Tastings of unusual, indigenous varieties at wineries you will never have heard of.
• California has Napa – Russia has Anapa! Get to know this lovely place.
• Visit the largest wine cellar in the world in Moldova – Milestii Mici
• Sleep in wine barrel – on the roof of a winery no less!
• Discover Wine, Vodka, and Brandy production in Ukraine?
• Large servings of local gastronomy, history, and culture in three unusual countries.

Day 1 – Arrive Russia – Sochi or Krasnodar

We will pick you up from the airport and depending on your arrival time we can see if a visit or two can be done today. If not just relax and prepare for your Russian wine experience tomorrow.

If you want to catch some rays or visit some historical highlights in the area then feel free to fly into the region early and have us look after you, or just chill at the beach on the Black Sea.

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Days 2 & 3 – Anapa Wineries – Former Soviet wine

Jancis Robinson visited the Sauk Dere winery and walked the underground tunnels in 2009, we did so last month (June 2018). Comparing her videos and ours, the place looks exactly the same, and we are SO GLAD it does as this is a very memorable visit with not much changing since Soviet days – feel free to read our blog on Sauk Dere.

There are a number of new-builds and fresh investment at renovated wineries in the former USSR wine regions and some are very impressive indeed after being extensively upgraded. The facilities at Lefkadia, for example, are very polished and modern, but you will notice they don’t get many non-Russians and English is not widely spoken.

Another winery with plenty of new investment is Semigore. Here we have the chance to meet the owner Gennadiy, have a look around his property and enjoy a tasting with him. This winery is also a great option for overnight stays, the rooms are surrounded by vineyards and the location is good for exploring the region.

Whatever we have planned a “must-do” is the Abrau-Durso Russian sparkling wine factory, the most famous winery of its kind in Russia. The fact that this historic and imposing place is located in a nice village on the shores of a lovely lake is even more reason to visit.

Day 4 – Travel to Ukraine or Moldova

We have flexibility in which place we do first as both countries are easily visited from each other. The deciding factor will be how we minimize travel time and cost according to air connections at the time of planning.

Let’s assume we fly from Russia to Moldova for the sake of this example program. There are often direct flights from Krasnodar to Chisinau the capital of this little-visited country. The wine experiences and infrastructure in Moldova completely surprised us. In a positive way!

Upon arrival in Chisinau, you will be picked up from the airport and taken to your hotel in the center of the city. This evening we will have an introductory wine tasting session for you to teach you something about Moldovan wine and give your palate some practice.

Days 5 & 6 – Exploring the wine regions of Moldova

There are two sides of wine in Moldova we would like to show you over the two days you spend here. The large and very impressive Cricova and Milestii Mici wineries relatively close to the capital and then Castel Mimi en-route to the Purcari region to the south which has some very interesting offerings.

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After two nights using a hotel in the capital as your base for wine exploration, your third night will be spent staying on a vineyard in the south before hopping over the border to Ukraine. A short drive both north and south of Chisinau are two very impressive wineries that were very important during the Soviet era for the supply of former USSR wine.

Both Cricova and Milestii Mici are huge wineries and the later of the two is in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the largest cellars in the world. In Milestii Mici you drive your actual vehicle through the tunnels with your guide. The scale is impressive, 200 km of tunnels exist, of which 55 km is being used to store wine. Cricova has a similar setup but a little smaller, and you travel underground in an electric train.

We will have tours and tastings at both of these large wineries and lunch somewhere along the route today. We can try to fit in a short city tour in Chisinau also, it’s not a place visited very often!

Lots to fit in today. You will pack up and leave your Chisinau hotel base and after breakfast, we will head south into the very green Moldovan countryside. You are surrounded by sunflowers, fruit trees, and vines along the way. We will stop at intervals to take photos in rural villages and wineries of course.

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Our first stop will be at the very impressive Castel Mimi. We were not sure what to expect at this winery as we had not done any research on it beforehand…WOW…what a place! History and modern technology have been blended very nicely here. We will enjoy a tour and tasting before moving on.

We will drive a little further and our next port of call will be at Asconi. This winery is a very eclectic mix of styles and technologies. Old jeeps and equipment are scattered about the place, barrels everywhere. We will have a traditional lunch here on the leafy terrace, after a tour and tasting of course.

Then we are off even further south to the lovely and historic Chateau Purcari. Founded in 1827 and winning awards since 1878 the imposing building dominates the small village in inhabits. We will spend the night here in the comfortable hotel which although only built recently in 2003 gives the impression it is much older, as the cellars below are of course.

You will have an extensive tour of the still and sparkling facility with an expert local guide and then enjoy a premium tasting, which can be technical if you wish, but always fun and great quality. Then to bed. You can choose one of the classic rooms in the eaves of the Chateau or the very unusual experience of sleeping in a barrel. Let us know your preference.

Day 7 – Cross the border to Ukraine

Odesa Wine, Vodka and Brandy

Now the last leg of your former soviet wine tour. On our short drive to the Moldova – Ukraine border this morning we will have a quick visit to the excellent Et Cetera winery. The wine and hospitality here is first class and a great tasting will set us up for our crossing into Ukraine by land. After completing formalities for the border crossing we will continue to the city of Odessa. Upon arrival, we will check you into your hotel.

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During your next tour, which will be at Shustov, you will be educated in the art of brandy winemaking and the spirit distilling process. You will learn about cooperage and brandy aging, the history of this 150-year-old establishment, and of course, at the end of your tour, you will get the chance to try several different brandy styles.

Day 8 – Explore the Odessa Wine Region

It’s Ukrainian still wine and some sparkling today and our first visit is to the Shabo Wine Culture Center. At Shabo, there are numerous activities as wine, Vodka, and Brandy production that are blended with art and education. We could have lunch here at the on-site restaurant enjoying an excellent range of Shabo’s still and sparkling wines, vermouths, brandies, and grape vodkas.

In the afternoon we will head off to either the Odesa Sparkling Wine Factory which is located in the city or a Ukrainian winery en-route back to the city. We may be able to also visit a micro-brewery.

After a fun day out we will drop you back to your hotel with instructions for the next day, your times of departure will depend on what you have decided to do. In any case, enjoy a restaurant or wine bar for the evening.

Day 9 – Next Wine Destination?

After breakfast at your hotel, and depending on what you have decided to do next, we will transfer you where you need to go:

1. With some regret, you head home with great memories and a few bottles
2. Travel on to another country or Wine Triangle – extend your former USSR wine triangle
3. Any of our destinations can be linked easily, South America not so much!
4. Add some free time at any point around the former USSR wine triangle