Crimea

The Crimea is a peninsula on the northern coast of the Black Sea, washed by the Sea of Azov from the northeast. It is located in the south of Ukraine (Ukraine) and includes the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, and partly the southern region of Kherson. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukrainian Крим, Russian Крым, in ancient times known as Tauris) has its capital in Simferopol (Ukrainian Сімферополь) and covers an area of 26,844 km². After the Russian Civil War in 1917, it became part of the USSR. Under the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (1894-1971), Crimea was annexed to the then Soviet republic of Ukraine in 1954 and remained part of the Ukrainian state after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. On the southern coast lies the historically significant resort of Yalta.

Political Status

In February 2014, civil war-like conditions arose on the peninsula. The "Crimean crisis" subsequently led to a referendum in which the majority of the population voted for joining Russia (Russia) (however, there was no option to remain in Ukraine, i.e., for the status quo). According to estimates, only about 30 to 50% of the Crimean population participated, and of those, about 50 to 60% were in favor of secession.

Since then, Crimea and parts of the Donbas have been under Russian control. Ukraine continues to regard Crimea as an autonomous republic and part of its own territory, while Russia considers it its own federal district. The UN declared the referendum invalid by a large majority. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine and recognized the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. This subsequently led to the bombing and destruction of many cities.

Viticulture

Viticulture in Crimea has been practiced since the 4th century BC by Greek colonists. In the 11th century, Orthodox monks introduced viticulture around Kyiv. In the Middle Ages, the Genoa, who were colonial owners of Sudak at the time, traded Crimean wines throughout Europe (Europe). Under Empress Catherine II the Great (1729–1796), the Crimean peninsula was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1783. Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin (1739-1791), who was supported by Catherine, made it arable and promoted viticulture. He imported grapevines from Italy (Italy), Spain (Spain), and France (France), which had similar climate conditions as Crimea.

Magarach Wine Research Institute

The resort town of Sudak on the Black Sea is now a center for wine and sparkling wine production. The German scientist Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811), engaged by Catherine II, established large vineyards here and described about 40 autochthon grape varieties. In 1804, he opened the first winemaking school in Sudak-Feodossiya. Count Mikhail Vorontsov Mikhail Semionovich (1782-1856) established a large winery near Yalta in 1820. He also founded the still-existing Magarach Wine Research Institute in 1828.

Crimean Sparkling Wine & Wineries

Crimea is home to the famous Crimean Sparkling Wine. Prince Lev Golitsyn produced the first sparkling wine on his estate New World (New World) near Yalta in 1878. Nearby is also the area Sunny Valley (Sunny Valley) with 300 sunny days a year and a winery of the same name. The last Russian Tsar Nicholas II (1868–1918) commissioned Golitsyn in the 1890s to build the "most beautiful winery in the world" near the village of Massandra (Massandra) for his own needs and to develop the southern coast for the production of sweet wine.

Current Viticulture

In 2014, Crimea, the second-largest Ukrainian wine-growing region with 31,000 hectares of vineyard area, was annexed by Russia. The condition of viticulture in the areas occupied by Russia is unknown.

Map: by Martin Kraft - derived from Map, CC0, Link
Massandra: by SilvioMartin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Source: WIKIPEDIA Crimea and Viticulture in Ukraine