Wine tourism is a new trend that has been gaining momentum since the pandemic. If earlier everyone went abroad, then after 2021, tourists began to look closely at local wineries in the Russian south. And the main discovery of travelers is no less beautiful cellars with barrels, high-tech production, interactive platforms, and, of course, authentic bars and restaurants where you can truly enjoy enogastronomic combinations. All the conditions to enjoy the aesthetics and beauty of our vineyards.
If you are stopped by doubts: what if I don’t understand the varieties, mix up the glasses and say something wrong – leave them. We will definitely tell you all the details so that your first acquaintance with the world of wine tourism is comfortable and leaves only pleasant impressions. This is a great opportunity to see the entire journey of your favorite wine: from the bunch to the bottling line. At the same time, you will not need to rush and strive to visit all the farms in one day. It is enough to spend one planned day at a large winery.
And let’s go to the Kuban-Vino winery. This association of winemaking centers is perfect for beginner enotourists, where you can not only follow the process of wine making and ask all the questions that concern experts, but also enjoy an exquisite lunch at the local gastrobar Chateau Tamagne or restobar VillaAristov. The choice is only yours.
And we suggest starting your first wine journey with the Chateau Tamagne enology center. The Chateau Tamagne brand was founded in 2005 thanks to joint work with the Institute of Enology of the Champagne province. The main goal of the project was to combine the expertise, technology of European colleagues and the professionalism of domestic winemakers. By the way, there you will be able to personally communicate with the young and promising chief winemaker Artem Vasiliev.
The location was chosen in a suitable climate for the development of the industry. According to historical data, the area has been an active viticulture zone for over 5,000 years. Therefore, it is especially valuable that the center’s employees consider it their important task to introduce innovations and technologies, while preserving the cultural heritage of the region. Every day, oenologists study industry trends, improve production processes and introduce modern European equipment to create a product of the highest quality.
It is here, in the center of primary winemaking, that the transformation of grapes takes place: from the vine filling with juice under the soft rays of the Taman sun to the bottling of finished wine. The process itself is metaphorical and impresses every guest. On the tour, you will be told how grapes are selected, what primary winemaking is and how to achieve pure and harmonious characteristics of aromas and tastes. If you have time, you and the guide can go straight to the vineyards, because they are literally everywhere there.
The tour can end with a walk through an interactive mini-park with information platforms, where you can feel all the beauty of the Taman Peninsula. And guests are invited to relax and unwind in the Chateau Tamagne gastrobar. It serves exquisite signature dishes from local products, to which wines have already been selected. In the language of experts, this will sound like this: enogastronomic pairings. You see, you already understand!
Don’t be shy about asking sommeliers questions, saying “I don’t know.” Their job is to pass on their experience and knowledge to you in practice. Just ask them to match a wine to a dish so you can immediately feel how a gastronomic pairing works. If you are asked about your preferences, start with something simple: “I want freshness and the aroma of flowers, without oak, or, on the contrary, a dense wine with a bright aftertaste” – and you will definitely be understood.
Next, we suggest you go to the Industrial Winemaking Center. Where you can see the entire production cycle with your own eyes and, what is even more interesting, taste wine with a view of one of the five bottling lines. This enterprise was founded in 2009 and is the embodiment of efficiency and technological progress, which is managed by professionals in their field. It is thanks to the combination of technology and love for their work that the center is recognized as the most compact and at the same time the most powerful in wine production in our country. Every day, more than 300 specialists, united by an idea and professionalism, turn grapes into a product of the highest quality. You can learn more about the approach to teamwork and the company’s values in the podcast with Evgeniy Yemelyanov.
If you want to delve deeper into the industry, you can continue your research and go to the Center for Classic Winemaking. Here you will be immersed in the history of the craft. Guests especially appreciate the atmosphere of this place, where they find themselves not just in a winery, but in a place where traditions, culture and wine have been intertwined since 1956. Mysterious underground galleries, an introduction to barrel aging and classic champagne await you here. And the guides will tell you everything about secondary fermentation, then about remuage and disgorgement so that you will never confuse these incomprehensible at first glance terms again. The tour is truly rich in knowledge about wine making, and they offer to finish it with a pleasant acquaintance with collectible samples. By the way, we recommend taking a light jacket for the galleries and choosing comfortable shoes.
A visit to Villa Aristov will be a great end to your first wine tour. Here you can take a break and enjoy the comfortable atmosphere after the impressions of the production facilities and historical facts. Villa Aristov is arranged as a gastromall: here you can easily and calmly get acquainted with the brands Chateau Tamagne, ARISTOV and “Kuban-Vino”. In the store, leisurely look at the lines and buy souvenirs, try samples in the bar, and visually enjoy the work of young artists in the digital gallery. This is a great place for your first visit to a winery: just you, a glass, and clear recommendations.
A separate stop is the digital gallery AristovWineArt, where the works of artists inspired by the theme of wine are posted. Here, wine is part of art, and the guest is a participant in a lively dialogue of taste and culture.
And now some tips for your first visit to any winery.
How to talk to a sommelier without being shy
Start simple: “I like fresh, aromatic whites, not too oaky” or “I’m interested in something with berries, but without heaviness.” This is enough to be offered the right positions. If you didn’t like something, just say so: that’s what tasting is for. And yes, you can and even should ask questions about temperature, glasses and combinations. The taste of wine depends on all these factors.
Tasting stages
First, pay attention to the color and transparency. Then bring the glass up to you and take three short breaths – associations will immediately appear. Take a sip and just try to describe familiar notes. And, most importantly, do not try to “guess everything” right away: it is enough to describe what you feel – “apple”, “grassiness” or “wood”.
What to buy for home
Take several different wines: one light and aromatic white, one mineral white, one sparkling and one bottle of medium-bodied red. So at home you can hold your own mini-tasting for friends, only you will be a professional sommelier. A pleasant experience and consolidation of knowledge in practice. It is also useful to take two similar items from different lines or with different aging to train your eye and taste. And be sure to take pictures of the receipts and labels: it will come in handy when you want “that very wine”.
So, we offer you the ideal itinerary for the day:
Morning (11:00): Freedom of choice between a tour of the modern production at the Chateau Tamagne Oenology Center or the cellars of the Classic Winemaking Center, where the history and atmosphere of the wine corridors reign. (or both)
Afternoon (14:00): Lunch at the Chateau Tamagne gastrobar or the Villa Aristov restobar. The first option logically continues the morning excursion, the second is more flexible in format: both hearty meals and light snacks for tasting are suitable. In any case, you can relax here and take your time. Just enjoy a glass of wine and a quiet rest, discussing new interesting facts.
Evening (16:00): VillaAristov for a light immersion in the topic, visiting an art gallery, and shopping for yourself and your loved ones. A good ending is an evening without lectures and production lines. To consolidate the impressions and calmly decide what you really liked, and take a glass of your favorite wine and compare it with a couple of snacks.
Regardless of your choice, you will definitely discover a whole universe of winemaking craft. And you will certainly get inspiration, vivid impressions and memories, for which we encourage you to come back. After all, the landscapes are different every season, but beautiful in their own way. And if you came as a beginner the first time, then on your next trip you will be able to ask more profound questions with knowledge and discover new taste facets of familiar wines or try new releases.
Take this route as a basis: choose your pace, take your time – and by the evening you will feel that you are speaking the same language with oenologists. The language of love for the culture of winemaking. And then you will want more – and this is the best possible result of the first wine trip.
Studying history, innovations in production or gastronomy – whatever you choose, on the Taman Peninsula you will find a route that will remain in your memory for a long time.
So, are we going?
OOO “Kuban-Vino”
INN 2352034598OGRN 1032329061676 Source: hellomagrussia.ru
Regardless of your choice, you will definitely discover a whole universe of winemaking craft. And you will certainly get inspiration, vivid impressions and memories, for which we encourage you to come back. After all, the landscapes are different every season, but beautiful in their own way. And if you came as a beginner the first time, then on your next trip you will be able to ask more profound questions with knowledge and discover new taste facets of familiar wines or try new releases.
Take this route as a basis: choose your pace, take your time – and by the evening you will feel that you are speaking the same language with oenologists. The language of love for the culture of winemaking. And then you will want more – and this is the best possible result of the first wine trip.
Studying history, innovations in production or gastronomy – whatever you choose, on the Taman Peninsula you will find a route that will remain in your memory for a long time.
So, are we going?
OOO “Kuban-Vino”
INN 2352034598OGRN 1032329061676 Source: hellomagrussia.ru
