Fanagoria Estate Winery

Dear friends!

It has passed over half a century since the day when on the site of the ancient polis of Phanagoria a new winery was founded. The history of Fanagoria Estate Winery, as it was called, is marked with persistent creative work, overcoming of the challenges of our time, and of course many brilliant and striking achievements.

Today Fanagoria ranks high among Russian biggest winemaking companies. We own over 2,300 hectares of sought-after vineyards that prove the high quality of our wines. Fanagoria covers a full winemaking production cycle: from vine nursing up to the sales of its highly sought-after wines. Our main production figures are growing, both qualitatively and quantitatively. So, in 2009 we processed over 25,000 tons of grapes, and produced more than 20 million liters of wine. The Company’s share in the national wine market equals to 4%.

High quality remains our highest priority. Our terroir wines are being awarded Grand Prix and gold medals at most prestigious national and international tasting contests, deserving excellent comments of the world’s leading wine experts. Today Fanagoria wine trademark is delivered to most Russian regions and abroad.

The Company means to keep its high working pace. We are committing ourselves to the development of the wine consumption culture in Russia, for we are confident in bright prospects for the Russian winemaking.

Sincerely yours,

Petr Romanishin, Director General, Fanagoria Estate Winery

 

Centuries-Old Heritage

Fanagoria Estate Winery is located in the historical viticultural region in the western part of the Taman Peninsula, between the Black and Azov Seas. It is the site of the ancient Greek polis of Phanagoria known since 6th century BC and named after Phanagor, a courageous leader of the Greek settlers.

In the 4th – 2nd centuries BC, Phanagoria was a major trade centre of the Kingdom of Bosporus, then the biggest state in the Northern Black Sea area. The dwellers of Phanagoria used to grow vine and make wine, as it is proved by archaeological findings of grape stones, measuring vessels, wine amphorae, and grape clusters engraved on Phanagorian coins.

Approx. a dozen of ancient wineries dating back to the 2nd century BC – 2nd century AD, have survived until now. One of them, found in direct proximity to the contemporary winery, will be reconstructed and thus available for all Fanagoria Winery visitors.

Having survived the invasion of nomadic tribes of the Goths and Huns, the polis of Phanagoria flourished till the end of the 14th century. During its history, he was the capital of Magna Bulgaria, one of the major cities of old Rus’ Tmutorokan Principality, until it was eventually destroyed – first by the troops of Barbarian tribes, and then – submerged in sea.

The revival of Kuban winemaking took place in the last third of the 19th century. It was then that from France, classical grape varieties – Chardonnay , Sauvignon , Claret – would be imported to serve as the basis for future winemaking. Organization of Temriuk Winemaking Department was the following step to follow. By the beginning of the 20th century, Kuban became one of the winegrowing regions of the Russian Empire. Before World War I, its annual yields equaled to 16 million kg. Alas, no proper attention was paid thereafter until the 1950’s. So, only the opening of a new winery in the settlement of Sennoi (the future Fanagoria Estate Winery) became a landmark in the rebirth of the history of the local wines.

Company History

Noblesse oblige, the Fanagoria Estate Winery’s official motto, means our commitment to customer excellence. The history of our Company began more than 50 years ago, and since then every year new pages of our historical chronicle have been telling wine connoisseurs about our achievements, confirming firmness of Fanagoria’s leading position at the Russian wine market.

For its half-a-century-long history, Fanagoria Estate Winery has been awarded numerous prizes of most prestigious national and international tasting contest:  6 Grand Prix and over 200 medals are quite telling evidence of our wines quality, confirmed by international jury panel.

Fanagoria Chronicle

1957 – Sennoi Winery – a historical predecessor of  today’s Fanagoria Winery - found

1959 – Fanagoriysky Viticultural State Farm founded

1963 – completion of Fanagoria Wine-and-Juice Making Company, No.1 Soviet and No. 2 European producer of grape juice.

1978 – Fanagoriysky Viticultural State Farm merges Sennoi Wine-and-Juice Making Company.

1980 – Fanagoria juices – the official drink of the 22nd Summer Olympic Games in Moscow .

1996 – Fanagoria Estate Winery, JSC established. A strategic decision on emphasis upon the grape wines taken. Technical rearmament started with the launch of 5 new bottling lines. Our unique herbal bitter liqueur Fanagoria launched.

1999 – annual volume of production exceeded (10 million liters.

2001 – the Numeric Reserve (NR) wine collection launched

2002 – production of sparkling wines launched

2004 - a pottery studio opened. Replicas of ancient amphorae as souvenir containers for the wines and herbal liqueur are made.

2005 – first exports of Fanagoria wines (Japan)

Launch of premium brut.

2006-2008 1,230 hectares of new vines planted by modern Austrian technology with use of a laser for planting layout.

A large-scale reconstruction of the Company. The following purchased: a harvesting machine; French-made grape processing equipment (Bucher Vaslin); new fermentation tanks. A 12,000 bph cold bottling line launched. A new 6-storeyed warehouse to store 3 million bottles at a time opened.

2007 – our first premium vintage Cru Lermont wine collection launched. Celebration of the Company’s 50th anniversary, where a national record on The Most Numerous Wine Tasting (1,100 participants) was set. Exports into the USA started.

Annual output exceeded 20 million litres.

2008 – Exports into Israel started. Our Cabernet Sauvignon. Cru Lermont premium wine awarded the title of The Best Red Wine of the Year (Krasnodar, December 2008).

2009 – the total area of Fanagoria vineyards reached 2,300 hectares. Brandy manufacture launched. First batch of Fanagoria methode champenoise sparkling wines laid for ageing (to be marketed in 2012).

The record 25,000 tons of grapes processed.The record on The Most Numerous Wine Tasting beaten: 1,520 participants of still, sparkling wine and brandy tasting.

Fanagoria visited by Jancis Robinson, a worldwide renowned wine writer and The Financial Times columnist; and Igor Serdyuk, a Russian-based internationally recognized wine critic and The Forbs magazine columnist. Fanagoria proclaimed The Brand of the Year at Moscow International Wine Tasting Contest. Cru Lermont. Cabernet Sauvignon awarded Grand Prix of the Kuban Wine Festival. Fanagoria became the first Russian winery to submit the Declaration on Grapes Processing and Winemaking Volumes.

The uniqueness of the terroirs

What a fantastic thing is the nature of the Taman Peninsula! It has so many times been glorified by poets and artists. Even the legendary Phanagor might have not stayed here, had he not been fascinated by the beauty of this land. Temriuk Rayon where Fanagoria Estate Winery is located, in fact finds itself in a unique climate of the 45th latitude N. – the same where the grand wine terroirs of Bordeaux and Turin are located.

Long ago, it was here that numerous branches of the River Kuban’s estuary would spread. Now this land boasts of its numerous sea-lagoons that, together with the mild sunshine, salty winds from the Black and Azov Seas, and chestnut soils, contribute to the formation of Fanagoria terroirs so inimitable in their charm. It looks like the local nature has been created to grow grapes – with its hot summer (with more sunny days than in Sochi or Anapa), and mild lengthy autumn. So it is no wonder that in the Taman Peninsula, classical French varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc are grown no worse than in their homeland. By the way, the grafts for these varieties were bought in elite French, Austrian and German nurseries, and planted at Fanagoria vineyards.

The following are considered the basic varieties for the Taman Peninsula: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Saperavi, Traminer; Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Aligote. To satisfy its demand on high quality rootstock and grafts, Fanagoria opened its own grafting complex in 2004. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grafts purchased by Fanagoria from the French Jean Guy Arrive nursery in 1997 – 1998 and planted at our best plots, have been acknowledged the purest varietals of Krasnodar Krai. It is these vines that are used for our premium Cru Lermont line extension.

The Birth of the Wine

Since 1996 when the Agro-Industrial Company Fanagoria was organized, unprecedented effort has been directed to the technological rearmament of our facilities to adapt them to the most updated requirements of contemporary winemaking. Since 2006, the grapes have been processed at the French Bucher Vaslin machines. Fanagoria was among the first Russian wineries to have launched cold bottling of wine. This is how all Fanagoria wines are bottled nowadays.

The quality of the Fanagoria wines is recognized by millions of wine gourmets, wine specialists worldwide. The wines have won many medals at most prestigious wine tasting contests. In Hugh Johnson’s famous Annual Wine Pocketbook, Fanagoria has several times been mentioned as Russia’s best wine producer. We are benefiting from the unique experience of our international wine consultant, Mr. John R. Worontschak, who works with the world’s top wine companies.

No doubt that Fanagoria will keep bearing the palm in Russian winemaking. We will perfect ourselves in our main vocation – to produce only highest quality wines.