In the cellars of Abrau-Durso

Last week, Sergei Share flew under the Novorossiysk factory of sparkling wines Abrau-Durso. And of course, could not leave the Internet without photo report

In fact, Abrau-Durso is not a French name, and Circassian. Abrau - the name of the lake, which translates as "broken." A Durso - the name of the river, which translates as "four water", as it is powered by four sources.

The legend of how this place the lake was formed:

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Many, many centuries ago on the site of the lake was a rich village Abrau. Next to him was Durso village, inhabited by the poor. The only daughter of a rich Circassian Abrau loved the poor shepherdess from the village Durso. Her parents would not hear of this "unworthy of love."

Once in the open air and the rich staged a feast of fun for each other began throwing bread cakes. Angered by Allah punished for desecrating bread Highlanders - shook, rattled the earth, village sank into the ground, and at the same moment a failure filled with water, and in its place a lake. From horrible death saved only Circassian beauties, which on that day ran into the mountains to his shepherdess.

Returning in the evening and saw his native village on the site of the lake, beauty in despair, threw off a cliff into the water. But the water did not accept it, the girl drowned as she ran over the mirror surface of the lake on the opposite shore. But on the other side did not find anyone, came back, and hurried to his shepherdess, but he, too, disappeared ... her beloved, seeing the mountain as the girl threw herself into the water, I thought that she drowned. He rushed into the abyss of death and crashed ....

According to legend, since Circassian lives in the surrounding forests and the full moon passes through the water to the other side of the lake where the spread is now a beautiful village. Wherever she went, visible trace on the water - Moonlight ...



And the plant itself was built in 1870, the year by the decree of Emperor Alexander II. The first bottle of champagne under the brand "Abrau" released in 1898, the year.

The biggest promoter of Abrau-Durso was Mikhail Bulgakov. Almost each of his works mentioned Abrau. Remember, as in "Master and Margarita" money scattered Wollan during the presentation turned into labels of Abrau-Durso?

In one of the halls of the factory on the walls hang photographs of those times.

The tour started with the layout and cellars with the story of a French family, who helped produce the first batch of champagne:



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Incidentally, the word "champagne" can only be called sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region.

I was in several wine cellars in France, where he also made sparkling wines. In the cellars of Abrau were significantly greater than those that I have seen in France:



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Led us in the room with bottles of the elite:



Production of champagne consists of several steps, the first of which is "wort". Using a press with a soft squeeze the berries without damaging the seeds and peel. The wort is prepared in several steps by changing the pressure of the press. The entire process takes several hours.

Then there are the steps of "primary fermentation" and "stabilization and endurance." The wort is a cloudy liquid that besides the grape juice contains the dust, fine particles of soil, the skin of berries and bunches ridge, and a host of microorganisms, living on berries. All this must be removed from the wort, or young wines are obtained rude and unpleasant taste. To this wort, having a temperature not exceeding 8 ° C and pumped into special containers made of stainless steel, wherein at the same temperature it to stand for 18 - 24 hours.

The next stage of the production of champagne - "Assemblage". So called the operation, during which mixed wines made from different varieties of grapes grown in different areas and at different times. At the time, the operation in practice of wine Champagne Dom Perignon introduced. The meaning of assemblage is to get a large batch of wine has a good balance, the harmony of all the components, subtlety and purity of flavor and taste and at the same time typical of the wine region or sector.

Filling assemblage in bottles for passing the secondary fermentation is called "Circulation»

"The secondary fermentation and rerun." In Abrau-Durso extract most wines made by the method of secondary fermentation in the bottle lasts 3 years. During aging the wine several times shift. Each bottle taking up repeatedly turned upside down and again placed in a stack. Rerun allows reject those bottles from which flowed out of the wine, and check the quality of fixtures jams.

"Remuage" was and remains one of the key and most mysterious operations when creating champagne. Translated from the French remuage (remuage) means "movement", which is characterized by the essence of the operation: the gradual movement of sediment on the cork, cork is wine. To do this, hold the bottle upside down:



Bottles past remuage can be immediately sent to the next step - "disgorging". It is a removal or dumping of sludge from a bottle of champagne wine. Bottle necks for 10 minutes was immersed in a bath of brine. The resulting precipitate was translated into the cork, it freezes, making it easy wizard degorzhera and reduces the loss of wine. In the same upright bottles are fed to the master workstation. Keep the bottle neck down, the master inspects it, then special forceps to remove the metal bracket that holds the cork and opens a bottle. At that moment, when the plug off from the bottle degorzher must quickly turn the bottle neck upwards to minimize the loss of wine. Together with a small amount of foam and wine jet flowing out of the bottle, and the precipitate was removed.



All degorzhery operate in disguise, like fencers, to not damage the face of fragments:



We were shown the plant where they make luxury champagne called Abrau Durso Imperial. For its production using grapes such as the Pinot Blanc, Pinot Franc, Chardonnay and Riesling:



The history of "Imperial Cuvee L'Art Nouveau brut» started in 2007, when in Abrau-Durso, following the traditions established during the reign of Alexander II, was invited by the French master, the magician of the world of wine - Herve Zhestin. Herve - Hereditary champagne makers, his entire family, including brothers engaged in wine. He got basic knowledge at the University of Reims in Champagne, Dijon in Burgundy and the University of Bordeaux. Under his direction and control, and the champagne was created that combines the unique character of Russian grapes and refined French approach (copied from the press release, throwing out a few too laudatory adjectives).

The last stage of the production of champagne - is "Making bottles." Bottles past disgorging by transporters sent to refilling. Topping should make up for losses in the wine dergorzhazhe, it also allows you to change the flavor characteristics of the wine. If you need to change the taste of the wine is not present, a bottle of wine is poured from the already degorzhirovannyh bottles of the same party. Otherwise, use the so-called dozazhny or expedition liqueur:



A few photos from the shop:



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This machine puts the bottle on the metal wire - «muzzle»:



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At the end was a tasting. A bottle of champagne was opened Hussar way - cut off the neck:



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