Eugene Gerden is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of international topics from commerce to chemistry and from wine to aviation Chemistry World and The Journal of Commerce he has covered several stories on wine markets and production in Russia Speculation about potential bidders for Massandra winery has been building after Vladimir Konstantinov earlier this year said there were plans to privatise the historic producer which was founded in 1894 and also has one of the largest wine collections in the world A tender process was expected to take place in October and November this year which has long had high-profile admirers – including Tsar Nicolas II – was recently passed from Russian federal control to authorities in the Republic of Crimea any attempt at privatisation would likely draw the ire of Ukraine and its allies Massandra’s value has been estimated at RUB12 to 15 billion (US$180-250 million) One of the potential bidders was reported to be Boris Titov a businessman whose family owns Russia’s largest winery a spokesperson for Abrau-Durso told Decanter.com that the company was not a potential suitor ‘Abrau-Durso is not interested in buying Massandra winery,’ the spokesperson said Other potential bidders for Massandra have been reported to be billionaire businessmen Arkady Rotenberg and Yuri Kovalchuk although their interest has not been confirmed Both men are believed to be close to Russian president Vladimir Putin and have been targeted by US Treasury sanctions since 2014 Kovalchuk bought Crimea’s Novy Svet winery in late 2017 via Rossia Bank, in which he has a majority stake, according to The Moscow Times Any deal for Massandra could present extra risks in terms of western sanctions for the buyer Russian lawyers from the Bannikov and Partners law firm said that this might not deter potential bidders that have already been made subject to EU and US sanctions since 2014 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page lying at the northern end of the Black Sea has a long history of viticulture and wine production Over the last few centuries it has been a major supplier of wine to Russia the Black Sea coast has seen viticulture proliferate since ancient times – often connected to Greek trade across the sea often found itself caught in greater geopolitical struggles Sitting on the northern edge of the Black Sea its ports formed a major step in the connection between the inland peoples of Eastern Europe (including the Cossacks the Rus and the Poles) and trading posts along the Black Sea and the Mediterranean As such, the likes of the Crimea and the major port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine had historic links to the likes of the Greek cities, Istanbul (and the Ottoman Empire), Georgia (and the Caucasus) to the east While written evidence of ancient wine production and viticulture in the region is rarely quoted it is widely understood to have predated early modern times under the Tsarist Russia and then Soviet control the position of the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea made it the obvious location to house the country's Black Sea Fleet headquartered in the western Crimean city of Sevastopol since the late 18th Century Although wine production grew (both in the Crimea and in neighboring areas – see also Krasnodar) in the 19th Century its ready association with Soviet control through much of the 20th Century is mixed While wineries were often geared to high-volume production with repeated temperance campaigns throughout the Soviet regime (most notably under premier Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s) At the breakup of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence in 1991 the Crimea came under the latter's control established as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea the peninsula was annexed by Russia (see below) The Crimea sits between the temperate and subtropical climate belts The southern coastal regions enjoy a Mediterranean climate The region became part of an independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, it has a large population of ethnic Russians, and in 2014 it was annexed by the Russian Federation This took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution against President Yanukovych who had been seeking to maintain close economic ties with Russia referendum took place among Crimean residents in which they voted to join the Russian Federation not least due to the fact that the option of maintaining the political situation prior to 2014 (with Crimea an autonomous region albeit under Ukrainian jurisdiction) was not available on the ballot The subsequent takeover of Crimea by the Russian Federation led to two of Crimea’s most famous estates, Massandra and Novyi Svit being brought under control of the Russian state Russia has always been an important market for Crimean wine and sales there may have been boosted by the new political situation (as of 2019) many other markets have been closed to Crimean wineries by international sanctions against Russia Though the Greek influence is clear it may be that winemaking already existed before the Greeks arrival Wine production was prohibited during the Ottoman period But this was offset to some extent by a rise in table grape production After Catherine the Great brought Crimea into the Russian Empire vineyards were established in various locations using vines imported from established European wine regions The famous Massandra Estate was founded in this period the Crimea continued to supply Eastern Europe Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the resolution "Measures to Overcome Drunkenness and Alcoholism" Many vineyards across the Soviet Union were pulled up Further vineyards were lost in the Crimea after the collapse of the USSR From obscure companies in Vladimir Putin’s home city of St Petersburg to choice properties in Russian-seized territory in Crimea a network of companies recently given the name “LLCInvest” holds assets worth tens of billions of dollars for Russia’s leading oligarchs including those closely associated with President Putin The network is far larger and more widespread than previously reported The LLCInvest network, the subject of an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and a Kharon report in August consists of companies connected by shared ownership whose ownership shares are held by numerous sanctioned Russian oligarchs.Holdings of the LLCInvest network tied to close associates of Russian president Vladimir Putin extend into Crimea the region of Ukraine seized by Russia in 2014 but still recognized as part of Ukraine by the U.S and most Western nations.Former Ukrainian President’s Waterfront PropertyAlong the Black Sea coast in the resort town of Batiliman near Sevastopol are 38,000 square meters of land once possessed by former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych removed from office by Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution in February 2014 had been using the waterfront property to build a mansion that remained incomplete when he fled Ukraine and went into exile in Russia has emerged as the nominal owner of the Crimean waterfront property possessed by Yanukovych in 2014 The company has multiple links to the LLCInvest network according to Russian corporate and domain records and other publicly available records reviewed by Kharon Petersburg and shares an LLCInvest.ru domain address with a nonprofit organization named Assotsiatsiya Razvitie Rynka Effektivnikh Investitsiy (Association for Development of a Market of Effective Investment) Members of the nonprofit organization include sanctioned Russian oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Petr Kolbin according to the Russia Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Russian corporate records.The owner of Bereg OOO is the St the nonprofit Assotsiatsiya Razvitie Rynka Effektivnikh Investitsiy and Golden Geyt AO share the same director general Pavel Zaytsev.Crimean Vineyards and LLCInvestCrimea’s historic vineyards have also become assets of companies within the LLCInvest network a major supplier of wine to Russia and Europe were founded by Imperial Russian aristocrats in the 19th Century survived as prized properties of the Soviet Union and later came within the territory of independent Ukraine The wine region’s takeover received some notoriety in Western media in 2015 when Russian president Vladimir Putin and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi sampled a 1775 bottle of wine preserved at a Crimean winery since the 19th Century a historic Crimean winery founded in the 19th Century that possesses a renowned collection of wines inherited from Imperial Russia that Putin and Berlusconi sampled in 2015 is the property of a Russian company owned by Yuzhny Proekt OOO (“Southern Project”) — a St Petersburg-registered limited liability company.Southern Project was established in 2017 and owns Crimean properties that include wineries and a stake in the airport of Crimea’s capital Department of the Treasury sanctioned Southern Project in 2018 for being owned or controlled by Bank Rossiya and Yuri Kovalchuk its chairman and largest single shareholder.Southern Project has additional connections to the LLCInvest network It owns additional companies in Crimea that use an LLCInvest email domain Its director general holds the same title for a Russian LLC which wholly owns a sanctioned investment company that uses an LLCInvest domain address Russia’s Crimean regional government nationalized Massandra in 2014 sanctioned the resulting state-owned company the newly registered Russian company Production-Agrarian Union Massandra AO assumed ownership of the winery Southern Project wholly owns Production-Agrarian Union Massandra according to Russian media reporting.Novy Svet a maker of sparkling wine dating back to the 19th Century is also the property of a Russian company owned by Southern Project the Crimean regional government sold the state-owned company that owned Novy Svet to the Russian company Zavod Shampanskikh Vin Novy Svet (“Novy Svet Champagne Factory”) AO Southern Project wholly owns Zavod Shampanskikh Vin Novy Svet A bottle of 1775 Jerez de la Frontera was brought to Crimea by Count Mikhail Vorontsov during the reign of Catherine the Great Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi were accused of drinking it The Russian president was showing his friend and former Italian prime minister round the Massandra winery in Crimea with the pair asking questions about vintage bottles in the wine cellar Berlusconi picked up one of the five bottles of 1775 Jeres de la Frontera believed to be kept in the collection − a 1891 vintage − and asked “Is is possible to drink?” “Yes” said Massandra’s director Yanina Pavlenko, according to Radio Free Europe. While it is unclear how much, if any, of the wine Putin and Berlusconi consumed, Ukrainian prosecutors are furious, and are preparing criminal charges against Pavlenko. “This is one of the five bottles that constitute not only Massandra’s or Crimea’s heritage, but the heritage of all Ukrainian people,” Nazar Kholodnytsky, first deputy prosecutor for Crimea, told the Associated Press from exile in Kiev. Massandra, which opened in 1894, was Ukrainian government property before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and any charges could not be pursued in Crimea, where Russia has full control. In June 2014, the winery was placed on a list of businesses hit by EU sanctions after passing into Russian hands. You can buy a Donald Trump watch. You cannot buy an Ursula von der Leyen watch. Why not? POLITICO has reviewed the declarations of interest of every European Commission nominee. Keir Starmer’s sausages/hostages mix-up was a gaffe for the ages. The process with Ukraine proved more difficult, as Kyiv sought to achieve particular objectives before giving up what was then the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Among other things, the Ukrainian government wanted acceptable answers to four key questions: Several factors explain the success of the trilateral process. 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Read our Privacy notice Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies A winery director in Crimea allegedly opened one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world for the two politicians Ukrainian prosecutors are preparing criminal charges against a woman who allegedly uncorked a 240-year-old bottle of wine for Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi The Russian President and former Italian Prime Minister, said to be firm friends, were on a tour of Crimea when they visited the famous Massandra estate The pair spent the weekend together on the peninsula which was annexed by Russia more than a year ago as the Ukrainian crisis continued One of their trips was to the Massandra winery which has gained a global reputation for its fine products since it was founded in the 1890s Footage broadcast on Russian television showed Mr Berlusconi examining a vintage bottle from its vast cellars during a tour and asking the winery's director if he could try it Russian newspaper Promyshlennie Vedomosti reported with a witness describing how she uncorked a precious bottle of Jeres de la Frontera it is one of the oldest and most expensive wines in the world Ukrainian prosecutors for Crimea, who are working in exile, say the bottle was worth more than $90,000 (£58,000), Radio Free Europe reported. When the peninsula was annexed, Massandra only owned five of the famous bottles, after two were sold at Sotheby's auctions, with the personal authorisation of then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. The successful bidder paid almost $50,000 (£32,000) at the 2001 auction, which then went to the government to fund the development of Massandra and wine-making in Crimea. Ukrainian prosecutors are reportedly looking into filing embezzlement charges against Ms Pavlenko, who is also wanted for alleged “treason” after voting in favour of the Russian annexation of Crimea. “This is one of the five bottles that constitute not only Massandra's or Crimea's heritage, but the heritage of all Ukrainian people,'' Nazar Kholodnytsky, first deputy prosecutor for Crimea told the Associated Press in Kiev. Mr Putin and Mr Berlusconi are both reportedly named in the case over “large-scale misuse of property”. During the two-day trip to Crimea, they also laid flowers at a war memorial, toured the seaside, inspected an archaeological dig and visited three palaces and a cathedral. Massandra was Ukrainian government property before Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014, but has since been nationalised by the Kremlin. The will of the Russian oligarchs to own vineyards in Crimea and produce wines under their own trademarks was first implemented even before the occupation of Crimea by Russia became the first owner of Crimean vineyards and Crimean wine producer Ukrainian companies controlled by him leased lands of the state enterprise “Gurzuf” The occupation of Crimea opened many opportunities for Russian oligarchs and top-officials to buy agricultural lands and expropriated vineyards and wine production factories It is also worth recalling those marauders who were the first to take precious “Massandra” lands immediately after occupation It is remarkable that citizens of EU countries help new “owners” to launch their vineyards and factories It is clear that they violate Western sanctions and the Ukrainian legislation “Alekperov’s” Chateau and the first sale of “Massandra” lands the land plot (total area 36,4306 hectares) near Gurzuf was sold at the “auction” in accordance with the “Decree of the Council of Ministries of the Republic of Crimea” The land plot was owned by the state enterprise “Gurzuf” only 576 USD per 100 square meter of precious lands The land plot was bought by Moscow based LLC “Elias” (LLC “Elias” The name of the LLC was changed to “Grineko” on March 31 The investigation of the Center for Journalist Investigations established the connection between LLC “Elias” and Vagit Alekperov Marina Romanicheva was the founder of “Elias” She was also the co-founder of LLC “Center for Consulting and Outsourcing “Our Future” Another co-founder of the Center was “Our Future” Foundation for Regional Social Programs” founded by oligarch Vagit Alekperov Alekperov calls it “my foundation” in the presentation video The connection of the first buyer of “Massandra” lands with the oligarch was not a surprise for those who knows the history of wine producer Château Côtes de Saint-Daniel Its vineyards are located near Alekperov’s dacha (he told about vacations there in his interview) LLC “Vinogradniki “Medvedi” acquired ownership of “biomaterial” (grape bushes) by court decisions but failed to privatize land plots of state owned enterprise “Gurzuf” where they were planted The sale of “Gurzuf” lands was forbidden by the moratorium on privatization of agricultural lands whereas the property complex of “Massandra” was protected from privatization by the special legislation The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea initiated criminal investigation about illegal alienation of “Gurzuf” land plot on December 9 2015 when the occupation regime of Crimea prepared the decision about the sale of land The investigation has been about illegal acquisition by public officials of “the Council of Ministries of the Republic of Crimea” of agricultural lands located on the territory of occupied Crimea (part 5 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) Though the Center for Journalist Investigations uncovered names of the formal and real beneficiaries of the transaction the investigation has been never completed and not submitted to the court JSC “Upravlauschaja kompania “Business Investitsii” UK) acquiring shares of Karpaty Chemical B.V The latter owned 100% of shares of “Karpatnaftokhim” “Graf’s Chateau” and the first stealing of “Massandra” lands occupants “lost” 13 hectares of vineyards when the stolen property of “Massandra” was transferred to the Office of the President of Russia Those lands bordered the territory of 5-star hotel complex Mriya Resort & Spa Mykola Boiko, the General Director of “Massandra” fired by occupation authorities told the Center for Journalist Investigations that he has been at the hospital abroad when Crimea was seized he found out that occupants stole from “Massandra” the vineyard of elite Muscat Blanc located near the hotel complex Mriya Resort & Spa “My problems began when 13 hectares of land were stolen in April It was leased by Zelenski Nikolai Aleksandrovich And Herman Osakrovich is there… (Herman Graf the Head of the Board of “Sberbank Russia” – ed.) once Graf went to his balcony and thought: “Why are here vineyards not belonging to me I should make them mine!” Those lands were simply given to him I wrote official letters but failed and ran into serious problems I will tell you the great secret: the future of “Massandra” was determined before this case…” What is Herman Graf involved into this story “Sberbank Russia” owns hotel complex “Mriya Resort & Spa” through LLC “Garant-SV” (tax number 9103007830) and its founders LLC “Auktsyon” and “Gamma-S” The Ukrainian subsidiary of “Sberbank Russia” launched its construction before the occupation of Crimea Vladimir Putin held the meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and met with members of the State Duma in the half-completed complex He recognized the use of the Russian armed forces during the pseudo-referendum at the meeting The Yalta International Economic Forum (YIEF) is conducted each year in Mriya Resort. It is the largest Crimean investment event with propaganda forums of the “friends of the occupation of Crimea” the USA imposed sanctions on Mriya Resort & Spa and its direct owner LLC “Garant-SV” PHOTO: Vladimir Putin and German Gref in Mriya Resort & Spa It is known that “Sberbank Russia” refused working in occupied Crimea as it was afraid that the US government would impose more severe sanctions than 2014 restrictions Herman Graf was criticized by Russian “ultra-patriots” for his “non-patriotic” pragmatism It is surprising that “Sberbank Russia” decided to enter the viticulture and wine production on lands expropriated from “Massandra” The “Council of Ministries of Crimea” and LLC “Gorizont-servise” (its founders are “Garant-SV” and “Auktsyon”) signed an agreement about investment project “Creation of Wine Tourism in the Republic of Crimea” on June 15 The “project on planning and land management of the territory located to the south of sanatorium-recreation complex “Mriya Resort & Spa” has been developed within the agreement It was ordered by LLC “SB Development” (Moscow subsidiary of LLC “Gamma-S”) and developed by LLC “Proektny Institut “Genplan” (Simferopol) The construction of entertainment complex “Vinnyj Park” [Wine Park] was initiated in 2018 It was planned that the complex would occupy the area of 22 825 square m near Opolznevoe village and would include the wine production The internal yard was supposed to have the artificial lake and the tower 50 meters high The vineyards would occupy the largest part of the park (yearly harvest was estimated at 46,8 tons of the wine grapes of three types) COVID0-19 pandemics postponed the opening of “Wine Park” (from autumn 2010 to spring 2021). It is likely that it will be launched in April. In accordance with the website of the Park the initial project was significantly changed Total area of the Park expanded to 30 hectares whereas the area of the vineyard was reduced to 7,5 hectares Multifunctional space with immersive program will plunge guests into specific atmosphere when the insight into secrets of wine making will turn into free creative dialogue… Local inhabitants told the Center for Journalist Investigations that two types of red grapes were planted: Cabernet and Mourvèdre It was reported that another vineyard (with Pinot grapes) was planned in Sebastopol zone as Sebastopol climate was better than Gurzuf one new owners destroyed 13 hectares of Muscat Blanc and replaced them with 7,5 hectares of the new vineyard expensive palm trees and 200 years old olive trees were planted on the remaining territory of the Park… “Westarbaiters” at the service of Russian oligarchs in Crimea “SB Development” also mentions its project partners – LLC “Podzemproekt” (Moscow) and Italian architectural bureau Archea Associati (Florence Happy Thomas Doll is sitting on the barrel of wine amid vineyards His left hand holds a bottle of white wine whereas his right hand – a glass of Kokur He is the Chief Winemaker in Mriya “Wine Park” Thomas Doll came to Crimea in 2011 as the invited wine consultant of the wine production “Alma Valley” (Viline village It is owned by another well-known Russian – Andrei Kostin the Head of the Board of “Vneshekonombank” the first wines under “Alma Valley” trademark were produced in 2013 The German consultant did not leave Crimea even after its occupation by Russia Thomas Doll became the member of the jury of “international wine competition” conducted in Yalta on the basis of “Massandra” (already being the object of Western sanctions) Thomas Doll left the team of Andrei Kostin’s wine producers (Russian expert Andrei Grigoriev headed it) and started working for Graf’s wine production Russian media “Ludi ROSTa” published an interview with Thomas Doll as the Chief Winemaker of “Wine Park” project on November 30 2020 (the media is the project of “Partia ROSTa” [Party of Growth] by Boris Titov Russian business ombudsman and owner of “Abrau Durso” company) Doll describes the technology of grapes processing and informs that the project of wine production facilities was developed by Italian architect Marco Casamonti whereas another Italian Marco Casamonti together with Giovanni Polazzi and Laura Andreini founded architectural bureau “Archea Associati” the bureau implemented numerous large-scale architectural projects – from wine factories in Italy to sports complex in Tirana (Albania) and the Museum of Ceramics in Liling Marco Casamonti is the ordinary professor at the department of architectural planning of the architecture faculty of the University of Genoa He is the editor of the international architectural journal “Area” published by his bureau he spoke at the Sankt Petersburg architectural exhibition in 2013 Mr. Casamonti seems to be successful architect, scholar and professor. However, he had serious problems with Italian prosecutors, in accordance with the Italian media La Repubblica. In April 2017, the newspaper published detailed article about scandal Casamonti was involved He violated the law when he combined the work of the university professor with the work of architect and consultant in business projects University students complained he ignored his duties as professor and did not deliver lectures informed the damage brought by Casamonti’s behavior in 1999-2006 amounted to 689 thousand Euros He had to pay 976 thousand Euro as the compensation Alberto Antonini is last but not the least from “Westarbaiters” working for Russian oligarchs in Crimea He is one of the best world enologists and consultants on wine production He graduated from the University of Florence and received PhD from the University of Bordeaux and University of California in Davis Antonini possesses family wine production near Florence He has worked as consultant for wine producers from Argentina to Armenia for dozens of years Antonini consulted the personnel of “Wine Park” and his consultancy has been very important for the project it seems that this fragmented information can be sufficient for making conclusions about the work of citizens of EU countries in Crimea sanctioned by the EU…  Crimean “privatization” or expropriation of stolen property can take on various forms There are many people willing to participate when lucrative objects are at stake (like “Massandra”) Architects and wine producers with worldwide reputation owners of the large Russian business and rank-and-file local officials dreaming about career promotion – they are all involved into illegal transactions The “Wine Park” is the monument of the Russian stupidity wine cellars and 100 thousand visitors per year? Everything seems to be possible for Russian marauders critical deficit of the fresh water and international isolation…  prosecutors said they will file charges against the head of a wine factory in Crimea after a 240 year-old wine bottle was allegedly opened for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Putin and Berlusconi spent last weekend in Crimea visiting historic sites including the wine renowned Massandra factory where prosecutors say they drank wine Massandra was the property of the Ukrainian government before Crimea joined Russia in March 2014  No charges can be issued in Crimea where Russia has absolute control An eyewitness said the new Massandra director who is pro-Russia Yanina Pavlenko opened a presigious 1775 bottle Jeres de la Frontera for her distinguished guests Video footage on Russian TV showed Berlusconi holding a wine bottle as Putin was listening to Pavlenko during the factory tour Berlusconi was seen looking at a 1891 bottle and asked “Can it be drunk?” and the director replied “Yes” Owen Galea huwa l-Kap tal-Aħbarijiet ta' TVM Huwa nħatar f'din il-kariga fl-1 ta' Mejju 2024 Galea beda l-karriera l-ġurnalistitika tiegħu fl-2003 wara li ggradwa fil-Komunikazzjoni mill-Università ta' Malta.