Prince Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn was born in 1845 in the town of Stara-Ves, Lublin province. He became the founder of winemaking in the Crimea, as well as the production of sparkling wines on an industrial scale in Abrau-Dyurso. His biography, history of winemaking and interesting facts will be discussed in this article.
Biography
Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn came from a princely family, he was born in 1845 in the Radzivilov castle, which is currently located on the territory of Belarus. Golitsyn received an excellent education at home, knew several foreign languages, studied literature and music, and was also passionate about history.
Noticing his son's love for history, Golitsyn Sr. sent him to study at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) in France. In 1862 he graduated with a bachelor's degree and returned back to Russia.
From December 1864 to March 1866, Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He began his career as a clerk in the Asian Department and continued as a collegiate registrar. For another year he worked inMain archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The period from 1867 to 1882
From 1867 to 1871, Golitsyn became a student at the Department of Roman Law at Moscow University. During his studies, he organizes discussions and seminars on the history and problems of law, repeatedly making presentations and reports. In 1869, Lev Sergeevich published a book on the history of Roman law, and a year later he was awarded the gold medal of the university for a new essay.
After graduation, he remains at the university and is preparing to receive a professorship. From 1873 to 1874, Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn improved his education at the Leipzig and Göttingen universities. After that, he went to France, where he studied the technology of making grape wines.
In the 1870s, he participated in archaeological expeditions in the Vladimir province, discovering several sites of a Stone Age man on the banks of the Oka River. In 1876, he was elected marshal of the Murom nobility, but he left this position of his own free will.
The beginning of winemaking
Initially, in a small farm near Feodosia, Lev Sergeevich planted vines of the Murveder and Saperavi varieties, and after harvesting, he began to produce wine. The resulting wine begins to enjoy interest first in the Crimea, and later in Moscow.
In 1878, he acquired the Paradise tract from Prince Kherkheulidzev, which he would later call the Novy Svet estate. Whole areaThe territory of the estate is about 230 hectares, located in the Crimea, near Mount Sokol, near the city of Sudak.
On an area of more than 20 hectares, Lev Sergeevich creates a nursery, where he begins the cultivation of about five hundred varieties of grapes. He also planted 30 hectares of vineyards near Feodosia, 40 hectares near the village of Tokluk (now Bogatovka), and the same number in the Caucasian village of Alabashly.
Industrial production
In the early 90s of the 19th century, entrepreneur Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn was establishing the industrial production of grape, sparkling and champagne wines of the highest quality. To store a large volume of products, on his orders, the creation of multi-tiered cellars, grandiose in design and execution, most of which are punched into the rock of the Karaul-Oba and Koba-Kaya mountains, begins. In cellar No. 4, which has a special status, Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn collected a unique collection of wines of more than 50 thousand copies, which was released in the 18th-19th centuries.
It should be noted that the complex layout of the cellars pursued specific goals, namely: to ensure the best aging of various types of wines. Each cellar was kept at a specific temperature and humidity to age white, red, dessert, fort and champagne wines.
Interesting fact: there is a legend that one of the hidden Golitsyn cellars in the rock, where the most valuable and rare wines are stored, has not yet been discovered.
Golitsyn wines
The calculation of Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn turned out to be correct, due to the fact that the production winegalleries and storage cellars were located near the sea, it was possible to ensure the best aging of the wines. All year round the temperature here is kept in the range from 8 to 12.5 С°. As a result of many years of painstaking work, five of the best grape varieties were selected, which became the ideal basis for sparkling wines, these are red: Mourvedre and Pinot Franc and white: Riesling, Chardonnay and Aligote. Currently, Crimean winemakers use these grape varieties to create white sparkling wine.
The very first batch of champagne, which was released in 1882 by the winemaker Golitsyn, gained great fame not only in Russia, but also abroad. Such a wide geography of popularity of his drinks is explained by the fact that he not only followed the knowledge gained during his studies in Champagne, but also introduced some innovations.
Product recognition
Champagne under the brands "Paradise" and "New World" was Golitsyn's debut in the production of sparkling wines. In 1896, he released a drink under the brand name "Novosvetskoye", which is served during the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896. It was appreciated by the guests of the ceremony, after which this wine is renamed the Coronation brand. Four years later, in 1900, this champagne received the Grand Prix at the World Wine Exhibition in France.
Despite this, Golitsyn's affairs are not going well, in order to save himself from bankruptcy, in 1912 he transfers part of his reserves into the possession of the emperor. Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn almostbecame bankrupt due to the fact that he spent a lot of money to replenish the collection of rare wines, as well as to purchase the best examples of winemaking equipment.
Abrau-Durso
The Abrau-Dyurso factory began its history in 1870, when Emperor Alexander II ordered in the Krasnodar Territory, near the Durso River and Lake Abrau, to establish the production of sparkling wine on his estate. Gradually, champagne began to be made here, but its quality left much to be desired.
The rise in production and the popularity of the products of the Abrau-Durso plant began after Golitsyn was appointed its manager in 1891. Three years later, Lev Sergeevich builds a cellar for the production and storage of champagne for 10 thousand buckets of wine, and by 1897 five such cellars had already been built.
To improve the taste of sparkling wine, Golitsyn invites specialists from France to the factory. In 1896, the first joint batch of wine was produced, and two years later champagne appeared under the Abrau brand. It is produced in a batch of 25 thousand bottles, and due to its excellent taste characteristics, it is only supplied to the imperial court and aristocrats.
In the future, production expanded, and the Abrau-Durso brand of champagne could be appreciated not only by the elite, but by people of lower classes, and the sale of wine to Europe also began.
New World
The estate "New World", bought by Golitsyn, was significantly transformed and rebuilt. Lev Sergeevich erected two large-scale buildings here. One was created foraccommodation - in the style of a medieval castle, with massive battlements. The whole building complex is made in the form of a square, which has a tower in each corner. In another building, Golitsyn was engaged in the production and improvement of wines.
However, Novy Svet is known not only for the fact that wine was produced there under the direction of Golitsyn. In the estate acquired by the prince, a large area is occupied by relic forests. Grow here:
- Tree Juniper.
- Endemic Stankevich's pine.
- Dumb pistachio trees.
- Feeding grass.
Some trees are 200 to 250 years old, and many plants are listed in the Red Book. Also, 18 species of endemic plants grow here, which, accordingly, are not found anywhere else in the world.
On the territory of the estate there are two most beautiful grottoes of Golitsyn - on Cape Plosky and Skvoznoy, as well as on Cape Cave. Since 1974, Novy Svet has been recognized as a nature reserve and taken under state protection.
Prince's family
The family of Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn was of noble blood, like his common-law wife Nadezhda Kherkheulidze. Meeting with her radically changed his life, if not for her, then it is possible that Lev Sergeevich would never have taken up winemaking, but would have devoted himself to jurisprudence at Moscow University.
Having met the princess, he kindled feelings for her, she answered him in return, but her marriage put an end to this union. The princess's marriage was unsuccessful and burdened her. Amending the normmorality of that time, the lovers went abroad and began to live together in a civil marriage. After living in Europe, they return to Russia to the estate of the father of Nadezhda Kherkheulidze "Paradise", which in the future will be bought by Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn.
However, this unofficial union with Princess Kherkheulidze turned out to be short-lived, five years later they broke up. They had to divide their daughters among themselves, Nadezhda and Sofya were given the surname Golitsyn, but without the right to be called princesses. Prince Golitsyn had no more children. After the experience, the prince dedicates himself to the production of wine on his estate.
Contribution to Crimea
If you ask yourself what Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn did for the Crimea, then first of all we can note the “New World”. This estate is unique not only because of its architectural beauty, but also because of the rare nature. There are no more places on earth that combine a mild climate, sea and relict flora.
It is also impossible not to mention the huge contribution that Golitsyn made to the development of winemaking in Russia, it is thanks to him that it exists at all. His many years of work and experience in the manufacture of sparkling, red and white wines are currently benefiting winemakers.
Its rock-cut wine cellars not only help preserve and age the drink. Thanks to them, it is easier for modern winemakers to understand exactly how to create a wine that will be popular with all connoisseurs of the drink.
Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn, of course, was an outstanding and unique personality, which is completelyit is unlikely that anyone can tell in such a short article.
