Guide for new Russian wines. Tbilisi Big Wine Guide
The ability to choose and drink wine - real art. Not all lovers of this drink can boast of ideal knowledge in the history of winemaking, serving and wine tasting. However, it is possible to enjoy good wine and without the title of sommelier professional.
We have prepared for you a nontrivial wine guide: from it you will learn not only about how to choose, combine and serve wine, but also the most necessary domestic life lifts associated with this drink.
Red and White
For all dry red wines, the main rule is operating standard: no sweet dishes. Forget about the stereotype "Fish + White Wine": sour-sweet red wines with a small content of tannins are included in the category of universal, and the fish fried on them is perfect for a snack. Meat with vegetables is an ideal company for almost all red wines, but be careful: some saturated varieties are lost in combination with sharp and spicy dishes.
White wines are more unpretentious, although herbaceous or saturated walnut varieties are not combined with hot meat dishes, and aromatic wines love a complex company, which fit both exotic fruit snacks and cold non-large white meat.
Dry fruit pink faults are suitable for almost all dishes, but dense meat dishes are better left aside.
Wine and cheese
Cheese is a wonderful wine partner. If you break your head, with which to give a dear bottle of good wine, choose this for centuries a proven combination - you will not be wrong.
Solid cheese varieties are usually served with expressive red wines: it can be Australian Shiraz and similar spicy, warm or even mature, vintage wines.
Lovers of Brie, Camumbert and gentle goat we recommend paying attention to light white wines (for example, Sauvignon Blanc). But with blue cheeses, everything is not so simple: their saturated fragrance is not so easy to emphasize, and the sommelier advise them with sweet fortified wines (Portwine).
White grapes
Knowing popular basic varieties and several professional tasting terms, you can quickly and with pleasure to make a choice in wine boutiques, almost completely eliminating the opportunity to stumble upon an inappropriate taste.
The amazing bouquet of Shehen Blanc will like the lovers of deep, solar wines. Chardonnia variety, originating from Burgundy and today grown in all wine-growing countries, is ideally combined with almost any dishes and always pleases with oily, fruit flavors.
Difficult taste of Muscat not all. The same applies to the nearest "relatives" of this variety - Italian Moskato and Spanish Muscaze. Assembly, Honey Pinot Grip value for the spice and intensity of taste, and charming rice - for acid, successfully combined with flower notes. If you prefer fresh, clean, rescued notes - buy Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
Varieties of red grapes
Two basic varieties of red wine - Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The first is ideal for the first acquaintance with red wine, juicy, clean, fruit and refreshing. The second has a saturated black-core shade. It is often bathed with Merlo to get perfect taste and deep bouquet.
Italian, Argentine and California wines are made from Sanjiyeza variety, are famous for the whole world with a unique sour-sweet taste with a shade of cherries and plums.
The most saturated, spicy and warm red wine is, of course, Shiraz. These are powerful, dense and tanny wines with velvety texture. Traditional Spanish grade Theteranillo is highlighted in strawberry accent, density and festive, cheerful taste.
How to cool
Temperature serving is a very important factor, directly determining, you will enjoy wine or not. The thing is that if you stop drink, it will lose its bright taste and a special flavor, and if you feed the wine too warm - to spoil its refreshing quality.
Nevertheless, it is believed that it is better to transfer than to overdo it: Serve the wine cooled and just make a glass in the palms so that the aroma of the drink completely revealed.
None, even the most expensive and high-quality wine, will not be tasty at a temperature greater than room temperature: 15-17 degrees - the optimal temperature for feeding all red wines, and white prefer more cold - 8-10 degrees. Neutral, very dry and sparkling wines should be cooled strongly - up to 4-6 degrees.
What glasses to serve
The choice of wine glasses is not such a complex science as the choice of wine itself. The most suitable form for all varieties without exception is "blossoming" (slightly advanced up) tulip on a long thin leg.
Sparkling wines "love" high, very narrow glasses: bubbles will be saved in such longer. Do not choose colored glasses: they will prevent the color of wine and learn its characteristics (for example, maturity or youth).
Behind the glasses requires special care: do not use detergents when you wash them. Remains for washing dishes are unprofitable to affect the wine bouquet, which will be destined to be in these glasses. It is better to wash them in very hot water and let's see how to dry. Keep the glasses in a vertical position so that the air does not cause them.
Choosing sparkling wine
Good sparkling wine can not be too cheap, too sour and too sweet. It is best to choose high-quality brut: it is very fresh, dry, light, but at the same time saturated sparkling wine, suitable for most dishes.
Popular Italian Asti (Asti), "Prosecco" (Prosecco) and "Lambrusco" (Lambrusco), German "CAVA" (Cava) and Cava Catalan wine (Cava) enter the average price category and most often do not disappoint.
Even if you prefer dessert, sweet wines, make your choice on a semi-dryer wine: it turned out to be tasteful and (or) poor-quality sweet sparkling wine will be like more for children's lemonade than a refined drink. Remember both calorie content that will be directly dependent on the sweetness of the drink.
Search for your taste
For the first time being in the wine boutique, you can make a choice for a long time and painfully. Do not neglect the help of a good consultant and trust your intuition. If you want to feel yourself a connoisseur, read a few articles or an interesting bookbook book that will help you navigate in basic concepts.
Watch out for wines online reviews on the Internet and magazines, do not be lazy to read the fiberglass and look for your "your" wine shop that spends tastings, offers a wide range of properly stored wines and is always ready to recommend cheaper decent quality offers.
Do not avoid wine restaurants, try homemade wine and be sure to pay attention to wines grown in developed wine regions: Italy, Australia, Portugal. So you sooner or later, look for your perfect combination of prices, quality and taste.
How to become Sommelier
It is very easy to develop tasting skills: it is enough to teach yourself to memorize odors and basic fruit flavors that are most often found in wine. If you indulge yourself good wine once a week, remember the labels and names.
You can even try to start a wine diary: several keywords will help subsequently remember their feelings and take a great choice next time.
Always look for words to describe the taste and flavor of wine. It can be a sharp, aggressive, binding, expressive and complex, and can be soft, gentle, light, neutral, fresh and clean. Wines without a pronounced aroma is called dull, poor, simple and flat, and their faults can be described as rich, mature, full, powerful and oily.
Collect traffic jams
Do not throw plugs from wines! Of these, you can build a lot of beautiful and useful things in the household, as well as jewelry for the house. Volumetric letters, pictures and boards, for which you can trailer photos without damage to wallpaper - our favorite example.
From the wine plugs, you can add a wonderful photo frame, to make toys for a cat (still he constantly loses them, so what is good to disappear in vain?), Stands under hot and real crafts. It all depends on your imagination!
From wine traffic jams, a stunning massage pad for a bath. Wood - Durable, natural material, pleasant to the touch. Split corks along and pasteing on the rubberized base, you will get a very pretty, stylish and reliable rug that will become an interesting detail of the interior.
Wine ice
We remember the wine cubes most often in hot weather: in summer, they are well used as an additional beverage cooler. For example, you can add frozen wine cubes in a jug with Sangria.
If you have a wine left after the holidays, which you obviously do not doubt, do not pour it out, but simply freeze in forms. The next time you prepare a recipe dish in which you need to add wine, you do not have to spend money on a whole bottle of wine - you just take your "billets".
Wine Cubes of Ice You can use for cooking cocktails, sauces, salads and even ... for the manufacture of wine soap!
After reading the guide to the wine world, the awkward moment will disappear from your life, when the waiter brings a wines card, and you do not know what is customary to serve to the boors. At the same time you will understand how to react to the request of the sommelier to evaluate the first sip if it is too late for hiding under the table.
Anastasia Prokhorov (Simple Wine News) · Alexander Kanygin
"The best wine is the one that most likes him who drinks it," said Roman writer-erudite Pliny senior (the younger wine was not sold).
If all the wines seem to you the same, and the wine list causes a mixture of panic and despondency - do not worry, you are not alone. We also did not understand the fault, although all my life really wanted, suspecting that it is interesting and tasty. But after the creation of this journalistic masterpiece with the help of experts, the entire editors only indicates the appendening and assembers. It turned out that the science of wine is not so difficult, if you know the key to it. He is in front of you. Frank the seven steps described below, the refrigerator is a table from this article and the healing of a new aristocratic life.
In this new life you will learn to choose among the broadcast batteries in the supermarket really interesting and optionally expensive specimens. You are unlikely to know all the wines. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the world, and even the tasters of the highest category, which all day spit in the bucket and complain about their difficult work, have time to try only a few of them. But you won't pay back on the three to four who once advised someone. Try, compare, share your impressions. Wine, like you yourself, the older, the more interesting. What can not be said, for example, about beer.
Step 1
Many terms and concepts of the wine world make a newbie confused. In vain!
Remember three parameters for the first acquaintance with wine.
1) grapes from which it is done
Although there are more than 8,000 grape varieties in the world, the wine is made from the so-called technical. About the most popular of them - Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, NheBolo, Merlot - You probably heard.
2) region where he grew
Common varieties of grapes are grown in almost all wine regions of the world. Shiraz, for example, maybe from California, Australia or New Zealand - it should not scare you. Of course, among the regions there are always those who specialize in a particular grade, and acquaintance would be good to start with the classical region for him, but we are talking about the very basics.
You will know more about it a little later, it's important that it is precisely on the rating that you can determine the wine worthy of you or not. The high rating does not guarantee that the drink will like it specifically. Finding "The Same" and there is our goal.
Start understanding the taste of wine
Trying at the same time several wines grouped on some sign, you will compare them among themselves, gradually formulating for yourself what kind of wine you like more.
It is better not to love it alone and not even together, but the company so that you can throw off at once the bottles of five. It may be wines from different grape varieties; wines from one variety, but from different regions; Wines of one manufacturer of different levels (from inexpensive to top). Further - cooler: the fault of one region, but from different zones - appelores (say, Bordeaux from Saint-Emilon, dyrolya, cautious, margot and town). The transition to the highest tasting league will ever be marked for you "vertical ruler" - the same wine of several yields. Why not diversify such a program to the boning home parties with a khuwon and piano variations?
Now go to the store and buy 5 bottles of wine.
Whatever paradoxically, important information for the identification of wine is contained on its front label. But that's what will be written in more than this, and what is smaller - the question of the design and decency of the manufacturer. We will pay attention to the most important points.
Grape variety from which the product is made
Wines are varieties, that is, made from one grape variety, and the Assemblys (they are also blend) - this is when mixed several varieties. Acquaintance with the world of wine is worth starting with the study of differences between grape varieties. And every time, buying wine, you must first understand what is the variety.
Appeal
On the labels of European wines, grapes are not always indicated. The French, Italians, the Spaniards call their wines not "Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot", not "Sanjovezé", and not "Tempranilo", but "Bordeaux", "Chianti" and "Rioha". They believe that all decent people should understand that Bordeaux is the Cabernet Assembly with Merlot that Chianti is made from Sanjovese, and Rioha - from the temporado. But you never know what they think? You grew out not in the burgundy wilderness! Bordeaux, Chianti and Rioha are the names of wine on appeal, that is, at the place of origin. The varietal composition of the wine is indicated in the Russian counter battery (on the bottle of the back). This is the law! Country and region, from where Wine is going on.
Many grape varieties are grown in almost all wine regions of the world. But among the regions there are always those who specialize in a particular grade.
Name of the manufacturer or brand
There is always on the front label. You need to install it to see the ratings of wine. The manufacturers of winemakers in the world dozens of thousands, the wine of the same name can make hundreds of winemakers, and they have different levels. One Chianti is suitable only to scare away the guests, the other is great wine. In the price, these differences are not always visible. Therefore, it is worth looking for ratings or ask for advice.
Name own wine
In addition to the grape variety and / or attendance, individual wines sometimes come up with their own name. Something like "Bull Power" or "Secret". There are no useful information of these names, they simply help to remember the wine.
Year of crop
He is vintage or Mills. Learn the tables of Millezimov only with the wines of the highest categories. Do not touch them until time. But if you have a bottle in your hands, on the label of which the year of the harvest is not specified, to return it to the shelf. For imported dry wines, it is not commenfo at all. Exceptions are sparkling wines and port wine (real, the one from Portugal). They are just for the most part of the Assamble (mixed) from wines of different yields, and this is their special feature.
Step 2.
Meat party and varietal red
Arrange a brutal party with meat. Steaks, grill, sausages, burgers - anything, but Face control should ensure that pork does not put on the table.
Collect a set of five varietal red wines. Newcomers like bright and not too acidic varietal wines: powerful, high-modes (13-15 °), with fruit or jam aromas and a "meaty" texture (when such wine takes in the mouth, it seems that it can be chewed).
Step 3.
Tasting order
While non-drinking cook snacks, try with friends to do all the wines and discuss them. It will be correct to pre-provide the company theoretical knowledge of those varieties / regions / manufacturers that you try. Exhibit all the assessment wines - for example, on a 5-point scale. Or simply distribute in places: first, second, third. See how evaluations correlate with prices. We have already said that the price is not the main argument when choosing wine?
To secure the past you need to wrap the underwater bottles in Foil, numb, mix and, trying blindly, try to guess where what wine. If this fails immediately, do not be sad: it will turn out from the third or fifth attempt. This is a training receptor. Then the whole tasting material can be transferred to the table and try already with meals.
Tasting
Remind everyone and yourself that the goal of tasting is not to giggle and not even enjoy, but remember the concrete wine.
Remember, taster!
Proper glasses are required. Each participant needs to be several of them so that the wines can be compared. The passage like "Molds to me in the same, there is a white one on the bottom" is unacceptable.Watch outlets. The reds should be the temperature of the cellar (well, remember which temperature was at the grandmother in the basement), white it is important not to fervor - optimally 11-13 degrees.
The room should be well ventigable. Smoking during tasting is completely prohibited! Red wines should be discovered for half an hour before tasting so that they are "revealed."
A glass of wine needs to fill out no more than a third.
Correctly hold the wine glass behind the leg, in no case do not bite the bowl of the bowl of the whole five.
█ First of all, the wine needs to be absorbed well: the fragrance (he is a bouquet) is the most important thing. You will have to sniff for a long time and concentrately, sticking your nose deep into a glass and pulling the aroma so that the nostrils are compressed and fused. Think about what your goal is to remember this smell. Focus on it. After you try with a dozen wines, you yourself will understand what kind of associations are more suitable for you to remember the flavors.
█ From contact with oxygen wine "reveals". Slowing wine in a glass, intensively twist it counterclockwise 5-10 seconds, so that the wine in it is stolen. Snuhai again. Do you feel that the fragrance became more intense?
█ Wine experts pay attention to its color. Consider better over a white tablecloth or sheet of paper, tilting the glass almost horizontally. Wines from different grape varieties differ in color. Pinot Noir - transparent, light and reddish wine, Malbec - more purple, Cabernet Sauvignon - Ruby. In fact, no information about the quality of wine does not give color (if only wine is not muddy, which means that it is spoiled). But people who love wine enjoy and look at his looking at his shades. And, by the way, the precipitate in wine is, as a rule, not a flaw. Some red wines are almost opaque - to act a glass on a bright light source and see what he has inside.
█ Now the wine can be enabled. Dial the drink in the mouth to use as much receptors as possible, intensely, with sound rolling the mouth. For a leaning effect of opening a little bit of lips and through the teeth strongly, with a whistle of tightening the air. From the side it may not look too aesthetic, but this is how people do to enjoy the taste of wine. Do you feel that he now seems more saturated?
█ Actually, wine is not swallowed on professional tastings, but sleep. But we will not advise you. Before each new sip again for a couple of seconds, focus on the aroma.
█ After you spawned wine or swallowed, to assess how pleasant the aftertaste remains in the mouth. It should not be apparent, nor sour. The aftertaste can be even considered in seconds. Norm - from 5 to 10 seconds. More is the highest league.
█ If you taste, as we advised you, several wines at once, compare them in color. Compare the fragrance of everyone before you taste them. Sroll out loud than they differ, it will help you more precisely express your emotions.
█ After a glass proves empty, sniffing it again. After good wines, an empty glass retains a pleasant fragrance for a long time.
Step 4.
Light red with pizza
Wines from the first set are not suitable for everyone. You can't drink a lot: from tanninism and redundancy quickly - the teeth stick together, in the throat. This is where it begins to want to want more cozy fresh red, which go well to Mediterranean food.
Step 5.
Aerial white with seafood or vegetables
Turning two red sets, we turn to the tasting of white wine. In the case of white wines, the technological techniques that are so loved to discuss the connoisseurs of wine, namely excerpt in oak barrels. Sauvignon Blan, weathered in the oak, is completely clear from unbendable.
Where and how to buy wine?
You can also in the supermarket. Especially since we are, turning on the finger the key from the safe with elite champagne, is in a hurry consultant. These smiling guys often disassemble no better than you, and sometimes at all are representatives of a wine-moving company that needs to sell certain wine. Do not listen to them. Unless to show where the shelf with white wines of New Zealand. On it, find bottles that are largely written on the label "Sauvignon Blanc". Choose those that are suitable for you. Read what is written in the battles. Great, if you meet there the name of the Russian importer company, which you already trust, is always facilitating the choice. If you are a dubbed guy, take advantage of a smartphone. Many wines have QR codes that will bring you to the manufacturer's website or the importing page with additional information. And there are still a mass of applications for mobile devices that recognize wine on the label and withdrawing on its "national rating".
Errors
Before you buy wine, you need to know anything about it. Never take the first label with a pretty label.Wines in Bag In-boxes (in boxes) can be quite acceptable for picnic and other drunkenness, but not for learning the consumption of wine. You can drink them, but you should not love.
The overwhelming majority of wines that are worthy of your love - dry wines. It is necessary to deal with them with them.
Do not trust any bottle medals. Many wine contests in the world. In all your rules and standards. Many wines can declare that they were named the best in the world by such a version, but this is all nonsense.
Well, since in your interest, you came so far that I installed one or even a few (here as with wine - it is better to try and choose) applications proposed by us, throw buy wine in supermarkets. It only seems to be there a lot of it, in fact, the choice in large networks is rather boring and monotonous. Even the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc may simply not be, we are already silent about Grüner Weltliner. Our path lies in wine boutiques, or enotecs.
You can scare their appearance. It seems to you that only sommelier goes there. Nonsense! Many winecakes belong to wine-moving companies and have all their assortment, starting with democratic lines. And prices there may be lower than in supermarkets. In any case, the choice is more interesting there. In Enotek, they work, as a rule, more competent and welcome consultants are cavist. Here you can not scan the Internet - just ask Cavist about the necessary data and learn not only about the type of wine, but also something interesting about the manufacturer. The best wines are those that concrete people stand are winemakers.
Well, the most advanced way - to buy wine directly from importing companies or in their online stores. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, it is elementary, and in other major cities, some importers have their own representatives (only waiting for the order will have longer). From companies you will receive not only the best prices and the best choice, but also full, correct information about wines.
Step 6.
Dense white with a powerful snack
Salted white wines reluys salmon on the grill or with creamy sauce, baked pork, carbonara paste, chicken, sushi.
Step 7.
Exquisite red in the society of meat cutting
When you feel that ready for more serious varieties, reward yourself with wine tasting from the most prestigious regions. Each has its own system of internal appellands of the Grand Cru's classification (the French invented a special term for the designation of vineyards producing exclusive varieties). To keep off for all the subtleties of these wines, do not need complex and abundant food. Limit meat delicacies: Bayon ham, Hamon, salami, grinding, cold roast beef, fua-gra-gras. We do not advise experimenting with cheeses yet.
In the choice of wine, the easiest way to focus on international wine ratings (in fact, not all good wines have ratings, but most of the majority).
There are many ratings, we advise you to adhere to the classics - this is American Wine Advocate (associated with the name of the world's most famous wine critic of Robert Parker) and Wine Spectator. Both have sites and mobile applications for subscribers. Subscribe to Sites paid, however, if you are configured seriously, spend $ 50 to have a year to have access to estimates of 290,000 wines on Wine Spectator, you can. Advocate is less democratic resource ($ 99 per year), and it mostly specializes in expensive wines, although it is possible to find estimates of 10-dollar bottles.
Both services use a 100-point scale. If the wine costs less than 1500 rubles and has an estimate above 85 points on Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator - take. For cheaper wines, the estimate above 80 is quite normal. Wines with estimates above 90 points and an acceptable price is the best find. Other things being equal choose those wines that have a WS or WA rating. Find out the rating is simple: In the search bar of the application you need to score the name of the manufacturer (one of the inscriptions is large on the front label), grape variety, or attendance, or name your own wine. If we are talking about wines up to 2000 rubles, the yield is not very important for understanding their level. That is, if you are looking for a rating of 2011 wines, and only in 2009 - you can safely focus on it.
Further Sam
Of course, an intelligent company, where everyone would like to try wine and discuss the Assemblies with respect to sober and dressed, the phenomenon is not the most common. But alone in his desire to comprehend the secrets of bouquets and tastes you will not be left. For such as you, there are wine clubs. They can be with enotec or without constant registration. The club organizer usually performs a charismatic character, a lot of fault. It purchases a conceptually selected line of wines from 10-20 samples, removes the room, collects those who want to drop a little to cover the costs, and during the tasting explains the people what. Introduced into a wine blogosphere, seek with well-known wine bloggers (Denis Rudenko, Bisso Atanasov, etc.), and it is likely that you will find your club. Or organize?
If the club has not yet been found, attend tastings that are conducted professionally. At the School of Wine "Enotry", the branches of which are in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, in addition to the harsh course for future sommeliers, conduct lightweight sessions for everyone. For three months of classes twice a week, listeners give to try about 250 most different wines, including many French Gran Cru, SuperToscans, Barolo, Champagne and other nothesive wines. If you wanted to try all these wines on my own, buying a bottle of everyone in the store, you would spend no less than half a million rubles on it. Here are serving, of course, tasting, but the experience will be copied! The process of knowledge of the world of wine is largely similar to the study of a foreign language or learning the game on a musical instrument: at first it requires certain efforts, but, having learned, you begin to get true pleasure. The real connoisseur of wine loves all the good wines. He loves white, and red, knows how to find their wine and in Europe, and in the new world. He has no complex for wines for 300-400 rubles, because he knows: they are very high-quality. It feels some of the pink wine is more suitable for a girl. Sometimes it allows themselves to have a weathered vintage champagne or a little shatter with different cheeses. A developed taste is the ability to choose wine and go to him by mood, season, time of day and, most importantly, on the interlocutor.
Wine selection tables
We admit that part of the readers, unable to restrain the spiritual impulse, caused by the description of wines, bouquets and slices of Hamon, went to the nearest enotek, without reading the article. For them, we publish tables for which everyone can choose the wine. They are very easy to use: choosing wine in Enotek or ordering it in a wine-moving company, say: "I am interested in wine from such a variety (graph 1) and from such a region (graph 2)." And addlessly add: "And as typical as possible." And yet: "And what is his parking rating or wine spectator?" The column 4 describes the aromas typical for each wine that you and you will try to urge ... How? True, strongly inflaming the nostrils.
Imported wine - not always better than domestic, approves Deputy Head of Roscatics Ilya Loevsky. And its conclusions are justified. The organization began a large-scale study of domestic wines.
What does it differ from foreign? Is it true that it is often made from the powder, what are the prospects for the wine industry in Russia and what is her main problem, he told in an interview with the Russian Newspaper.
Ilya Efimovich, it is common that imported wine is always better than domestic. Is this myth or share the truth in this?
Ilya Loevsky: In fact, imported wine on the shelves of Russian stores is not very good. Imagine this situation: you're near one wine regiment for 300 rubles from Bordeaux and from the Krasnodar Territory. What is next? Bordeaux or Krasnodar region? The answer is obvious. Plus, the wine from Bordeaux needs to be transported across the border, pass customs, pay the duty. It is worth considering that the cost of labor in Europe is higher than in Russia. So, most likely, in an inexpensive category, Russian wine will be better quality than imported.
If we imagine a package of milk from Finland for 50 rubles near the Russian milk package for 50 rubles - dares as a foreign one, for to make it there and imported to Russia, and it is also an incredible profit at such a price. And in stories with wines such skepticism for some reason does not work.
What could be bad in import fault?
Ilya Loevsky: In Europe, the courts are constantly going about illegal shaptalization. This is the addition of sugar. With the scandals, even around distinguished wine farms are flared. So "there" is also not paradise. In the most negative embodiment, the so-called wine can be made of alcohol even ninograd origin with taste additives.
All fakes of wine from ancient times are associated with sugar, sweetening, increasing volume by adding water.
And yet - in Europe, the vineyards grow hundreds of years on the same sites. One of the means of processing is copper vigor, which accumulates in the soil. We have plots that were free from agriculture for many years. So even grapes for the production of this drink in Russia may be better quality.
Why then to foreign wines more confidence?
Ilya Loevsky: When the crisis began in 2014, there was a splash of interest in Russian guilt - it is cheaper. And now, when everything is accustomed to prices, everything began to return to the circles. One of our experts believes that we usually drink wine. Men prefer stronger drinks. And women need romance. In France, not all were, but everyone loves her. And French wine from this point of view looks more attractive for them. And it is on hand to foreign wines exporters. Russia for them is one of the leading markets along with China. And the market is growing.
In Russia, there is a government program in which the area of \u200b\u200bvineyards should increase by 2020. So, the production of domestic wines. Here is robbing and help people understand it.
Roscatism launched the project "Wine Guide of Russia". Why is it needed?
Ilya Loevsky: In fact, we create the infrastructure of Russian winemaking, consumption culture. "Wine Guide of Russia" and all the mechanisms that we jointly with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture use will allow you to answer the question - what is Russian wine. What vineyards we have, is there mimicry under the product with marking "Made in Russia", what is the quality of the Russian product from our raw materials.
A few years ago at the Wine Festival in Beirut, the world's largest glass of wine will drink, it contains the contents of hundreds of bottles. Photo: Reuters
There are many consumer myths - about wine material, powder wine. What is it at all?
Ilya Loevsky: From Soviet times you got a living word - a wine material. What it is? It is a wine that is not yet poured into a bottle. And after it is poured there, the wine material becomes a consumer product - wine.
Some manufacturers honestly write on the labels of the "Sukhoi wine material". And for some reason everyone thinks we are talking about powder. And in fact, it means that there is no sugar in the wine material and it turned out after bottling into a bottle into ordinary dry wine. These are technical terms of winemakers, and they have nothing to do with falsifications and "powder wines". When the bottle is written "dry wine", you do not think that inside the powder.
How will the study be held?
Ilya Loevsky: Together with colleagues from the ministries, we determined that only wines from Russian grapes will fall into the project, first of all, guilt of protected geographical indication. So, we had to explore vineyards. Our first task when working on the "Wine Guide of Russia" is to conduct an audit of the manufacturers and understand whether there is a grapes in general from which wine is produced in Russia. Our experts visited 42 enterprises in 4 regions of Russia. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe vineyards that we appreciated - more than 40 percent of those 89 thousand, which are in Russia. In fact, this is the main volume of high-quality, modern vineyards that are in the country. We know their varietal composition, yield. Now we, for example, can with a high commitment to say that the most common red varieties on Russian vineyards are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as around the world. This year, winemakers have collected one of the best yields over the past ten years - 540 thousand tons.
In addition to the audit of the vineyards, we used the Rosal acceleration data on the EGAIS system to understand how much fault was released in Russia and sold.
Then they selected wines for research and purchased them in ordinary stores. Manufacturers did not know where and when wines will be purchased for research.
What criteria were wines taken?
Ilya Loevsky:One main price. Wines should have been available. Moreover, other robust research has shown that there is no direct relationship between price and quality. There are products inexpensive, but high-quality. And dear, but worst quality. We focused on the price category from 200 to 1000 rubles per bottle.
The second criterion is the circulation, mostly wine with a circulation of 50 thousand - 100 thousand bottles. But there are deviations: the largest wine in the study is more than a million bottles, about 15 percent - wines with a circulation of 30-50 thousand bottles. In total, we explore wine more than 300 brands.
This year, winemakers have collected one of the best crowns of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot over the past ten years - 540 thousand tons
Who and how to evaluate their quality?
Ilya Loevsky: Quality is estimated in the process of impartial and maximum responsible tasting. Wine can be high-quality, comply with GOST for the content of alcohol, sugar, other parameters, but it may not fit the organoleptic at the same time.
We collected high-level experts and made a tasting commission from them. It included 24 specialists, including two from Italy, one of them - the laureate of the Nobel Prize in the field of climatology. The second is the representative of the largest laboratory in Italy, which annually makes about a million samples on fault. Among the Russian tastors included in the commission, there are experts, sizel champions of different years, teachers of wine schools, people who are certified as teachers not in Russia, and in the UK, where there is a very authoritative Institute Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Higher degree is Master Of Wine Master of Wine Master. Have no more than 200 people in the world. Master is a level 5, and in our commission four experts have a very high 4th level. One of our experts has the title of Wine Academician (WA) of Austria. Head of the Tasting Commission - Arthur Sargsyan, President of the Union Sommelier Russia.
Tasting takes place in the quality center of quality - the sole in Russia of a specialized laboratory for conducting organoleptic studies of wine products. We wrote a special regulation on how everything should be rigged. It is based on four Russian gostas and advanced techniques, including foreign regulations of the International Vintage and Wine (OIV).
In the laboratory, complete silence, individual booths, no exchange of views between experts in the tasting process, a person stays alone with a glass of wine (whose name is unknown to him, only cipher) and his opinion. It evaluates a total of 12 parameters of four groups: appearance, aroma, taste and overall impression. The computer translates the rating to the numbers, the points believes and evaluates the work of the expert. The system constantly monitors the expert, checks the convergence of results. For example, an expert can several times, for example, with an interval of several hours or days, to file the same wine and compare its assessments.
Did you have a preliminary "sampling" of the experts? After all, their well-being, perhaps, taste preferences can affect the results?
Ilya Loevsky: All procedures are clearly prescribed in the regulations. You can not come to tasting with perfume, drinking coffee, smoking. Before starting work, we conducted the "paying" of experts. I will give an example: Initially, the taster must recognize the basic tastes (six) in different degrees of the concentration of reference solutions. This, by the way, is not so easy. The bitter taste from the metal is very difficult to distinguish. Then it is proposed to recognize the reference aromas in the impersonal test tubes. This confirms sensory sensitivity. Of course, we knew that our testes were professionals, but the rules are rules. Its expert need to prove. In addition, there are a number of tariff, reference samples, with pre-known indicators, and the tastor only then becomes calibrated when they appreciate them with certain accuracy.
There are "deceptions" when the wine consciously flies. For example, caffeine or other substance add to it, and a person should determine it.
In addition, laboratory experts were able to translate in a digital view. That is, as you know, tasting is a subjective assessment that is descriptive in nature. We "digitized" of each taster and with the help of statistical and mathematical methods of analysis were able to evaluate the general tasting panel.
What will the result of this work? About bad wines tell?
Ilya Loevsky: Those manufacturers who experts are audited in the summer have already entered the program of promoting the "Days of the Russian Wine", which we organized together with the Ministry of Industry and Communist Party and the Ministry of Agriculture. This program will be regular - special events for the support of Russian wine will be held in the country's retail chains twice per year. The result of all studies will be the National Wine Catalog - the real "Wine Guide of Russia". What is wine? This is the history of the grapes of grapes, geography, climate. This is a combination of culture and history of the region. You must feel grapes. All this information about wine, about its unique notes and data on the manufacturer, about their resources, production culture we will present a society with a detailed description. To make each consumer to choose from its own preferences and goals.
If there are wines with defects, for example, with vegetable aromas and other "vices" of wine, we will give all statistics. But the most important thing is the independent wine list of Russia represented by the consumer.
And what happens wine that smells of tomatoes?
Ilya Loevsky: Not tomatoes, but it happens onions, potatoes, cauliflower. Red wines can smell beet. Such things are most often associated with impaired hygiene production, technological miscalculations. If the wine is burning in the aftertaste, then it is most likely acetic acid. So, the wine was incorrectly stored, was produced. Wine must be first clean. There should be no obvious problems in taste. It should not be muddy, but transparent, with glitter.
Only domestic wines will be investigated?
Ilya Loevsky: Yes. Ranking represents Russia in the Assembly of Consumer Test Organizations (ICRT), which unites the Organization's similar russia in 40 countries. And all wine-making countries, such as Spain, France, USA, Germany, have their own wine guides, where experts assess the fault of local producers and provide comprehensive information.
Maybe it should be that instead of wine in a bottle will be a wine drink? And explain how this is what it is and what is the difference between the drink from the drink?
Ilya Loevsky:For wine drinks, as for wine, there is a special GOST. The wine drink does not necessarily be 100 percent should be made of grapes, and its fortress is not higher than 10-12 degrees, it can be up to 50 percent of water, alcohol may be present, apple wine material. If we do not find wine in some bottles, and the wine drink is already a question of falsification. We are confident that our experts are able to distinguish high-quality wine from a wine drink.
Laboratory studies will be?
Ilya Loevsky: Not. We focused on organoleptic evaluation, like our colleagues around the world. Wine is not about basic indicators, but about history and unique tastes.
But suddenly there is something more superfluous in it? How do you know?
Ilya Loevsky:Such things a professional can define the taste, to evaluate whether sugar, water and other unnecessary ingredients have been added. For this, we checked our tasters on "cheating".
How has the industry changed lately? Can we become a wine-making power?
Ilya Loevsky:Since the beginning of the 2000s, a serious technical re-equipment is undergoing in Russian winemaking. We see large investments in grape processing techniques. Modern stainless steel tanks, cold systems, pneumatic press for processing grapes. This is all very important for quality. But if you consider the industry more carefully, the most beautiful equipment will not make a high level wine from low quality grapes. The last decade passed under the sign of investments in the vineyards themselves. An important role was played by the Ministry of Agriculture. From 2013, 4.5 billion rubles were invested in the framework of the state program of the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2019, the state support of the wine industry will grow up to three billion rubles against 1.4 billion in 2018. The industry shows a positive trend. This was largely due to the state support of viticulture: over the past three years, it has grown more than five times, and next year its volumes will grow even more than twice. Only this year the vineyards were laid on a third more than in the past.
Does Russia supply its wine for export? Can it compete in overseas markets?
Ilya Loevsky: Basically, our wine manufacturers are focused on the domestic market. Although there are exporters. For example, our wine has a good reputation in China. There it is also perceived as a romantic drink.
What is the main problem of Russian wine? In the fact that his just no one knows?
Ilya Loevsky: I think yes. In addition, we have limitations - the law on advertising, which with great difficulty allows us to talk about Russian fault. One of the tasks of the Working Group of the Wine Guide of Russia, including the dialogue with the Federal Antimonopoly Service and with the regulators of the advertising market, so that there are preferences in the Communication part of Russian wines.
Even buy wine to research in stores seemed to us a difficult task. Wines had to look. Since few people know about them, they are not very large parties to the supermarkets, and they are not put on the most noticeable places. The popularity of domestic wines should be increased.
Wine studies will take place every year?
Ilya Loevsky:Of course, because every year - new grapes, other weather conditions, all this is reflected in fault.
Will you explore the same wine brands alone?
Ilya Loevsky: Partly yes. Wine can not be equally the same. Russia is a climatically complex region for viticulture. We have a clear concept: good or bad year, so the same Cabernet from grapes from the same vineyard may differ from year to year. So many wines will be repeated again. Plus - new ones will be added.
We expect that in a year the number of samples for research will increase interest by 40-50. And we hope that good wine will be more.
Best Russian Wine
"Wine Guide of Russia" - a joint annual draft of Roskkaya, Ministry of Industry and Communist Party and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. Based on the global experience of compiling wine ratings, an expert group from leading domestic and international experts, sommelier and tastors estimated 320 samples of wines from the Russian grapes of five main categories available at the price and widely represented in retail.
We remind you that the abuse of alcoholic beverages harms your health. We also inform that this material is not recommended to familiarize themselves under the age of 18.
The study included wine 24 producers who represented the largest wine-making regions of the South of Russia (Republic of Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, Rostov region). Wine was chosen from the mass price segment - from 200 to 1000 rubles.
Wine was estimated at a 100-point system in accordance with the International Scale of the World Wide Organization of Grapes and Wine (OIV). In accordance with the Russian GOST "Good", wine is considered to be of the amount of points at least 71. The expert commission of Roskachka for the wine guide of Russia was adopted by an elevated level - 78 points. This is the average value between the guest "good" and "very good" (86 points).
All wine-making products, which took the quality assessment, was divided into five groups: sparkling and pearl wine, grape red wines, white wine wines, wine grape pink wines, liqueur wine. Inside all categories were considered including the fault of a protected geographical indication and a protected place of origin.
From the initial brand list in 926 names, 486 items were chosen, which meets the principles of price and availability. Of these, 320 wines were purchased, the most widely represented in retail.
The study contained 51 names of sparkling wines, 104 white names, 19 pink items, 114 names of red wines; 32 names of liqueur wines.
Excellentby the quality of the existing GOSTS:
1. Of the 114 samples of the red wine 78, the score ≥78 points (68%) was obtained;
2. Of the 104 samples of white wines, 56 received a score ≥78 points (54%);
3. Of the 19 sample of pink wine 9, the score ≥78 points (47%) was obtained;
4. Of the 51 sample of sparkling wines, 38 received a score of ≥78 points (75%);
5. Of 32 likure wines, 30 received a score ≥78 points (94%);
Stability and quality level among various categories of white, red, pink and sparkling stands out a category white semihow wines - they showed an excellent result - 10 of 11 wines were high estimate (91% of the studied samples). In category dry red Wines 78.7% of the studied samples exceeded the GOST bar and entered into the "Wine Guide of Russia".
Much more difficulties in the category of white and pink wines with different sugar content (53.85 and 45% of wines, respectively, with estimates 78 points and above). If we consider the category of wines in a sugar category in more detail, a smaller amount of high-quality wine is represented in the category of semi-sweet red wines: five samples from the studied 18 (27.8%) exceed 78 points.
In each of the studied categories, high estimates of wine in the price group from 200 to 500 rubles were noted. The price is not necessarily a quality marker: a number of samples with a higher price lost to the estimates of democratic positions.
Best in Russia White Wine
White wines increase their popularity: if according to the Union of Sommelier and experts of Russia, several years ago, consumers in 6-7 cases from 10 preferred red wines, now the ratio is approaching parity. In the summer season, light and fresh white wines are often fascinated by the popularity of red. At the same time, it is very difficult to achieve freshness and purity of the flavor and taste of white wine.
According to the results of the study only 10% of the studied white wines of Russian production are not reaching the lower border of the GOST.
56 White Wines from 104 studied meet the increased standard of rinking (78 points out of 100 estimation of GOST). It was they who entered the rating. Of these 56 wines - 36 dry, 10 - semihow, 10 semi-sweet.
The rating includes the fault of all the largest wine regions of Russia: Crimea (East-Pourney and West Crimea, Sevastopol), Kuban (Taman Peninsula, Anapa, Novorossiysk, Krymsk), as well as Don Valley. The purchase cost of white wines included in the rating was from 188 to 829 rubles per bottle. The most common wine in the ranking was produced by the circulation of half a million bottles, the most small in the amount of 15,615 bottles.
The best Russian white wine named wines: Alma Valley. (3 items), Chateau Le Grand Vostock (1 name), Chateau Tamagne. (4 names), Fanagoria. (4 names), Gaiai-Kodzor (1 name), Inkerman. (1 name), Sun Valley (1 name), "Jubilee winery" (17 items), ZB. (1 name), "Valery Zaharin" (3 items), "Winery Vederniki"(2 names), "Winery Myshako" (1 name), "Kuban Wine"(3 items), "Likuria" (2 names), "New Russian Wine" (2 names), SUKH-DERE (5 items), "Sunny Valley" (1 name), "Southern Wicn Company" (4 names).
Troika best dry wineincluded in the rating, produced by the winery "Fanagoria", "Solar Valley" and "Jubilee Winery".
Three samples with the highest scores in the category polushi Vin. Released on the "Jubilee Winery".
Three best semi-sweet wines Produced under the trademarks "Valery Zaharin", Alma Valley and Chateau Tamagne.
One of the explicit advantages of Russian white wines was available prices at a fairly high level of quality. 7 of the 10 best wines of the research were purchased by robustic purchases at a price of 234 to 342 rubles.
It is worth paying attention to the varieties that you will not meet outside of Russia. Chardonnay make all over the world, and Cocur white variety is distributed only on the Crimean Peninsula.
Best in Russia Red Wine
Red wines are traditionally popular with Russian consumers. According to the Union of Sommelier and the experts of Russia, the vector of consumer demand over the past 10-15 years has seriously shifted from semi-sweet to dry red wines. Nevertheless, the Russian "Northern Type" of consumption still makes semi-sweet red one of the most running goods in the lower and mid-season segment. The procurement value of the samples was from 188 to 979 rubles per bottle.
According to the results of the study, the category of red wines from the Russian grapes was one of the most stable from the point of view of basic quality. All 114 studied samples were estimated above the minimum according to GOST (71 points). At the same time, 78 red wines (68.42% of the total) meet the increased standard of rumor (assessment on GOST not lower than 78 points). It was they who entered the rating. Of these 78 wines - 73 dry and only 5 semi-sweet.
In the red wine rank appear products of such brands like Alma Valley. (2 names), ARISTOV. (1 name), Chateau Le Grand. Vostock(2 names), Chateau Tamagne. (5 items), Elbuzd.(1 name), Esse(1 name), Fanagoria.(6 items), Gai-kodzor (2 names), Inkerman. (2 names), Villa Krim. (1 name), ZB. (1 name), "Valery Zaharin" (3 items), "Winery Myshako" (2 names), "Jubilee winery" (13 items), "Kuban-Wine" (4 names), Licuria (1 name), Massandra (6 items), "Heritage" (2 names), "New Russian Wine" (3 items), "Planer" (1 name), "Russian tales. Raevskoye " (2 names), SUKH-DERE (6 items), "Sunny Valley" (3 items), "Old Crimea" (1 name), "Manor Myshako" (3 items), "Southern Wicn Company" (4 names).
Also in the red rankings were five semi-sweet - It is Merlot Vintage and "Select" from the "Jubilee Winery", Blend Saperavi - Bastardo - Cabernet Sauvignon "Bakkal Su" Valery Zaharin, semi-sweete red from the winery "Solar Valley" and Merlot Sauch-Dere winery. The leader among them was wine Merlot Vintage, who scored 81.77 points.
The ranking of the best Russian wines amounted to Roscatism, Ministry of Industry and Communist Party and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. Testers rated 320 wines from Russian grapes in five major categories at an affordable price - from 200 to 1000 rubles, making up the "Wine Guide of Russia".
The study covered 24 producer from Crimea, Kuban and the Rostov region. At the same time, the wine was evaluated by the stubble system in accordance with the international scale of the World Wide Vintage and Wine (OIV). At the same time, experts for determining good wine used an elevated level of 78 points, and for very good wine - 86, although Russian guests good considers wine with an estimate of at least 71 points.
Red means the best
Of the 926 items, 486 items were selected that meet the principles of price and availability. And of which 320 wines were purchased, widely represented in stores. Wines were divided into five categories. Among the red wines 68 percent of the samples received a high score score (78 of 114 samples), the indicator was below the white wines - 54 percent. The highest ball among white wines was 56 of the 104 samples. 47 percent is an indicator for. In this category, only 9 of the 19 wines studied have deserved high praise.
Good results Rooting. 75 percent of products turned out to be at the level of the best samples. 38 Names of sparkling wines out of 51 samples received an increased rating. Good result and for liqueur wines. 30 of 32 wines received 78 or more points. This is a record indicator - 94 percent of the quality product.
It is curious that for Russian wines the price is not always a guarantee of quality: a number of samples with a higher price lost to the estimates of democratic positions.
Best White Wine
Two thirds of Russians, according to the Sommelier Union, preferred red wines a few years ago. Now this ratio between white and red wines is close to parity, and in summer fresh and light wine are even ahead of red. But winemakers are quite difficult to achieve freshness and purity of the fragrance and taste of white wines: ten percent of the products did not reach the lower limit of the quality of GOST.
But 56 of the 104 studied white wines corresponded to an increased standard of rumor. It was they who entered the rating. Of these, 56 wines - 36 dry, 10 semihow and 10 more semi-sweet. At the same time, the most common wine was separated in half a million bottles, and the most lowest is 15.5 thousand.
Praise to the manufacturer
Three names of Alma Valley are named the best Russian white wine, one Chateau Le Grand Vostock, four stamps from Chateau Tamagne and Fanagoria, one wine from Inkerman, one from Gaiai-Kodzor, one as well as Sun Valley, ZB ("Golden Beam") , "Winery Myshaco" and "Solar Valley". Two names in the list of the best Russian wines were presented by "Licuria", "New Russian Wine" and "Winery of Vederniki". Three - 2kuban wine "and" Valery Zakharin ". One more presented the" Southern Wine Company ", and the leader of the rating was the" Jubilee Winery "- 17 of its wines received high marks.