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I say very often to my non-Sevastopol friends and familiars: it is impossible to live in Crimea and to be ignorant in vines. In our Crimean peninsula winemaking, its culture and specialties has a long history: more than 2 thousands years starting from first Greek colonists. That meant you simply couldn’t skip over acquaintance with this culture and wines.

Therefore during last 10-15 years I have studied carefully the main assortment of wine cellars in biggest Ukrainian (or Crimean) wineries – Inkerman, Massandra, Sun Valley. I have my own favorites in every of it. But there’s always something new to learn, I think, so let’s expanding our horizons!

During last years in Crimea small private wineries are developing. More and more companies entering wine market. And they products are interesting due to its originality. Wine specialists says: every wine is a product of its own area and technologies applied. In this way, every bottle of wine from different Crimean regions has a small discovery for its explorer. Would you like to be the one?

The bar-shop “Wine cellar” yesterday provided us possibility to be explorers. I hardly could call the yesterday event “wine sampling”, it more looked like very intimate get-together of the very special affinity-group.

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The “topic” of this get-together was dedicated to the coming summer and good wines for it. Main part of the sampling was composed from white dry wines. Very light and fresh, served cold, they keep inside the wineglass bouquet of wildflowers, first acacia’s honey, sun-heated pebbles at the sea-shore and dog-rose flowers from old Tatar gardens’ somewhere at the foot of Demerdji-mountain.

 The aroma of Crimean mountain meadow was replaced with a great basket of strawberry. This is a first impression from the bouquet of pink Caberne wine: strawberry.  Juicy, ripe, sweet-scented strawberry from the very childhood! Taste it – what a surprise: instead of sugar-sweet you meet the real freshness, very nice for hot summer evening.

And for sure our sampling includes the most famous and traditional red dry wine – Cabernet. And a new surprise: from wine materials, collected at the one vinery, two wine-makers create wines, completely different in its bouquets and tastes.

But regardless of all tastiness and therapeutic properties of Cabernet, I vote for white wines this time. And my verdict was unexpected for myself. Private winery by Oleg Repin in my own sampling defeated the famous in Ukraine company “Satera” with its new wine-line “Esse”. But I confused, what wine should be the top-ranking. Should it be the surprise of this evening dry Kokur with its rich bouquet and bright taste? Should it be Riesling – very light, very young wine with little remains of fermentation, which continue “sparkling” at your tongue and gives an impression of Italian “frizante” wines? Or should it be Sauvignon – the pure freshness with a little rough, stringent, even with a taste of bitterness and the black-currant aroma. I think Riesling is the best… or may be Kokur? Or Riesling? I’m confused! I am not  a professional taster! But our host and our guide in the world of wines in this evening Alexey Akchourin, who has more than thirty-year experience in winery, says

‘You are the best taster in the world for yourself!’

No one except yourself could tell you, what wine is the best for you. And to detect it you need practice and practice again! Do not stop at one or two favorite brands of wine, be explorer, continue your researches and discovers in this amazing world of taste.

Pending the new wine-sampling at “Wine cellar”, I am thinking of purchase one or two bottles of dry Kokur. Summer is coming, in a few days it will be quite hot here, in Sevastopol… and on my computer table I’ll have the weeping wineglass…like this one.

You could envy me!!!