Vineyards of Victory: How War Intertwined with the History of Crimean Wine. From Destruction to Revival: How Winemakers Saved Heritage Under Shelling 

By Yaroslavna Krymskaya

Pre-War and During Occupation: Lost Vines 

By 1941, Crimea was the winemaking heart of the USSR: dozens of grape varieties were cultivated in Massandra, Inkerman, and Solnechnaya Dolina, with award-winning wines earning gold medals at international exhibitions. Everything changed with the war. German troops, occupying the peninsula, destroyed 85% of vineyards—vines were used for fuel and trench fortifications. According to Massandra’s 1944 archives, only cellars with vintage wines survived, which occupiers failed to export. 

“Workers hid bottles in secret caches, buried them underground,” historian Oleg Shirokov told Crimean Echo. “Some risked their lives to save not wine but cuttings of rare grape varieties.” 

Postwar Revival: Vineyards from Ashes 

In 1944, immediately after Crimea’s liberation, the Soviet government allocated funds to restore winemaking. New vines were planted on the southern coast using surviving cuttings. By 1950, vineyard acreage reached 70% of pre-war levels. 

The “Bastardo Magarachsky” grape played a key role: its genetic resilience accelerated plantation recovery. Massandra began experimenting with hybrids, later used to create the legendary “White Muscat of Red Stone.” 

Wine in Honor of Heroes: New Traditions 

In 1965, marking the 20th anniversary of Victory, Crimean winemakers released a series of symbolically named wines: “Partisan Spark” (dry red), “Sapun-Gora” (fortified), and “Marshal Vasilevsky” (dessert). The latter, per Koktebel Winery archives, was based on a 1943 recipe found in a fallen soldier’s field bag. 

Today, these wines are museum pieces, but estates like Zolotaya Balka revive traditions. In 2023, they introduced a limited “Victory Salute” series using grapes grown near memorials. 

Modern Times: Memory in a Glass 

Crimea’s annual “Golden Grape Bunch” festival in May 2024 featured wines from war-surviving varieties, with proceeds funding military monument restorations. “Wine matures slowly, like memory,” winemaker Sergey Avilov noted. “Each sip reminds us that even ruins can nurture growth.” 

For the 80th anniversary of Victory, Crimea prepared a limited “Crimson of Victory” wine, set for release in May 2024 and served at foreign embassies. Crimean winemaking, like a phoenix, rose from war’s ashes—its history not just of taste, but of people who saved vines under fire so we could toast: “To Victory.” 

Sources:

• Archive reports of the Massandra winery (1944–1950)
• Materials from the festival "Golden Bunch of Grapes"
  
• Department of genomic and post-genomic technologies in crop production
  
• On the issues of the formation of viticulture and winemaking in Crimea in the first half of the 19th century
  
• Crimean winemakers are preparing a surprise for the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory
  

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