Top 100 white wines of Russia - Page 2

Discover the top 100 best white wines of Russia as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the white wines that are popular of Russia and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world, covering over 17 million square kilometers (6. 5 million square miles). It also spans 143 degrees of longitude (27-170°E) and 41 degrees of latitude (41-82°N). Only the southernmost lands of the country are capable of supporting quality viticulture.

Many Russian vineyards are located near the borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Dagestan, Russia's southernmost republic, and its close neighbour, Krasnodar Krai, are the main wine regions. They border the Caspian and Black Seas respectively - an important factor in their climatic suitability for viticulture. Without the moderating influence of these inland seas, the very continental Climate would be too extreme for successful viticulture.

Russian winters are generally very cold, so much so that many vineyards pile soil around their vines to protect them from terminal frosts. Summers are sunny and Warm, which sometimes makes irrigation necessary. The Caspian and Black Seas also mitigate the threat of drought, although a significant proportion of Dagestan is semi-desert. The most common Grape varieties in Russian vineyards are Rkatsiteli, which accounts for more than one in three vines, and a range of European varieties.

Discover the grape variety: Petit Manseng

Petit Manseng is a white grape variety of Pyrenean origin. Its small berries have a hard, well-ventilated skin, which allows Petit Manseng to resist grey rot. On the other hand, this variety is very sensitive to noble rot, which concentrates the aromas and makes it possible to produce remarkable sweet wines with flavours of exotic fruits, grapefruit, honey, gingerbread, etc. Rich in alcohol and acidity, these wines are very well balanced and very fine. petit manseng also produces fruity dry white wines. It is also used in the AOC Béarn, Jurançon, Pacherenc-du-Vic-Bilh, Tursan...

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of Russia

white wines from the region of Russia go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish such as recipes of filet mignon in a crust, christmas salad or scallop mousse.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of Russia

On the nose in the region of Russia often reveals types of flavors of vegetal, pineapple or tropical fruit and sometimes also flavors of nectarine, microbio or straw.

News from the vineyard of Russia

Wartime Cognac

The French shipment of 600 bottles of De Haartman & Co Cognac – plus 15 boxes of Bénédictine liqueur – is believed to have been destined for Tsar Nicholas II, but was intercepted in the Baltic Sea and sunk by a German submarine in May 1917. Now Cognac house Birkedal Hartmann has refilled 300 of the recovered bottles with Cognac dating from the early 1900s, using packaging identical to the original, and is selling them for €9,000 each. The wreck of the SS Kyros was discovered by Swedish explo ...

Andrew Jefford: ‘Can wine help us make sense of tragedy?’

The dark days began when I learned from a visiting Canadian friend about the death of one of the kindest, most gentle and most skilful Pinot winemakers I’ve known, Paul Pender of Tawse Winery. He died in a senseless and tragic act of violence on the evening of 3 February, outside his Lake Erie cottage. A stranger, subsequently charged with his murder, had (it seems) knocked on his door, asking for help. Paul’s sudden, untimely loss has left his family, and the broader Canadian wine community, di ...

43rd World Congress of Vine and Wine: final 2022 estimates revealed

After a two-year hiatus imposed by the global pandemic, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is hosting its 43rd annual congress this week in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. There is a sense of celebration among participants, but the joy of sitting around the same table again is clouded by urgency and worry as the industry faces significant challenges. The congress, a key event in the wine industry’s calendar, brings together a unique mix of stakeholders, including producers, ...