Crimean sparkling wine
Krimsekt or Schampanskoje ( Ukrainian шампаньске / Schampanske ) is a Ukrainian sparkling wine that is named after the Crimean peninsula and is produced there and in other parts of Ukraine. It is popularly known as Russian Champagne , and was officially touted and sold in the Soviet era as Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (Советское Шампанское).
history
The sparkling wine was first produced in 1799 in Sudak and Alushta on the Crimean peninsula and produced exclusively for the Russian Tsar's court in Saint Petersburg . At the end of the 19th century , Prince Lev Golitsyn began large-scale production on his Novi Swet winery near Sudak and founded the Massandra winery for the Russian Tsar Nicholas II in 1894 . After the Crimean sparkling wine was awarded the Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900 , it gained international popularity.
Manufacturing
There is white and red Crimean sparkling wine. The grape varieties Pinot Gris , Riesling , Aligoté and Chardonnay are used for the white sparkling wine . The red Crimean sparkling wine is made from the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot , Saperawi and Matrassa .
For bottle fermentation , the basic sparkling wine is bottled and fermented with sugar and yeast . White sparkling wine is then aged for nine months. Then the yeast particles are shaken off . The yeast collects in the neck of the bottle and is removed by disgorging like a plug. The volume that escapes in the process is compensated for with wine , grape juice or sugar, the so-called dosage . Depending on the desired quality, the sparkling wine matures for another two to three years in cool vaults . With red sparkling wine, the procedure lasts between nine months and up to a year.
origin
Unlike champagne , the name Krimsekt is not associated with a specific region of origin. It is not legally protected. The grapes for Crimean sparkling wine are allowed to grow outside of the Crimea. It is not only pressed in Sudak and Sevastopol in the Crimea, but also in Odessa , Kiev , Kharkiv and especially in Bachmut . Around 50 million bottles are produced there every year. It is sold under various brand names, including a. Krimskoye , Krim , Tsarskoye , Ukrainskoje or Prince Alexej .