In the old days, in order to visit the winery with an excursion, buy wine from the manufacturer, sit in a restaurant of haute cuisine, it was necessary to fly to France somewhere in Bordeaux or Provence. Times are changing and now it can be done between Anapa and Novorossiysk. It is here that the winery of Valery Nesterov with a restaurant and a mini-hotel under the general name“Vinoterria” is located. These lands are more suitable for the wine complex than others because of the record amount of sun and heat for Russia necessary for the ripening of grape fruits. The number of sunny days per year reaches 287 out of 365.
Location and history
Valery Nesterov, a hereditary aviator, the owner of a private company engaged in air transportation on business jets, grows grapes from different places on six hectares. The variety of white grapes “Solaris” was bred in the 70s in Germany. The red “Ruby Golodrigi” was bred by the outstanding Soviet breeder Pavel Golodriga, who at the age of 66 committed suicide, unable to survive the barbaric felling of vineyards in the Kuban under Gorbachev. Also cultivated here are varieties: Georgian “Saperavi”, German “Reinrisling”, “Viorica”. Another growing red grape variety “Krasnostop Zolotovsky” is notable for the fact that it was first brought to the Russian Empire by the Cossacks, who returned from a foreign campaign after the war of 1812.
From these fruits, red, white and rose wines are produced here. The most popular of them is “Nesterov Winery Krasnostop Zolotovsky” – dry red from the variety of the same name. Velvety, with fruity shades and a pleasant aftertaste. The cost in stores from 800 to 1000 rubles per bottle.
Currently, Nesterov Winery produces monovariate wines, but there are plans to make an assemblage* product.
*Assemblage in winemaking is a mixture of different wine materials. Either a wort of several varieties of grapes, or one variety, but the pressing of different years.
Collection and processing of fruits are carried out by local workers under the vigilant guidance of a technologist and wine master. Valery Nesterov, before starting winemaking, traveled a lot in France, Italy, where he spied and studied some secrets and subtle nuances of the wine culture of these countries. The accumulated experience, coupled with modern equipment, allows us to prepare a really high-quality product.
In the wine cello of the restaurant you can order not only the products of this winery, but also neighboring farms that supply their best samples here.
The owner of this place was inspired by the idea of creating a winery when visiting Georgia and getting acquainted with its hospitable culture. And when in 2010 there was an opportunity to buy terroir* land, Valery Nesterov did not hesitate. It was an empty plot with herbs and now, after 10 years, vineyards are already bearing fruit here, a restaurant and a hotel are working, natural wine of decent quality is produced. So this region is restored after 100 years of desolation and hardship.
* terroir land – having a set of characteristics (soil, climate, fauna, etc.) that allow to produce a product of proper quality. For example, wine production requires fertile soil, plenty of sun and warm days a year to ripen the fruit.
A small volume of production at a private winery allows the manufacturer to pay more attention to the quality of products. Monitor the ripening of grapes to achieve the maximum level of sugar content of the berries. Carefully select rotten and subsustainable berries that have a bad effect on the organoleptic properties of the wine material. Do not add flavors and dyes and monitor other quality parameters of the final product. Therefore, the wines of small farms (like Nesterov Winery) almost always turn out better than 20 famous factories that produce wine in industrial volumes.
This place is located on the 23rd kilometer of the Anapa-Novorossiysk highway near the village of Semigorsky. This location is convenient for travelers to the Crimea or back to visit, rest, have lunch, buy wine with you and continue on your way. Or spend the night in a comfortable hotel, have breakfast in the morning and go further.
In the near future, the owner plans to build a bath with a spa center, where, in addition to traditional services, it will be possible to order cosmetic wraps, masks, creams based on grapes. Also in the plans are new varieties of wines, expansion of plantations of vines. Valery Nesterov connected all members of his family to this case and it must be said that they succeeded. The project has already been successful: the land has been cultivated, new jobs have been created, a popular product is being produced, the restaurant has occupied its niche in this resort region. It remains to wish the winemaker good luck and not to weaken in quality control.
After the harvest and the manufacture of the first blend, a gourmet restaurant“Vinoterria”was opened here. The institution preaches Black Sea cuisine, very similar to the Mediterranean, and offers dishes with exquisite serving, pleasing to the eye decor from the chef.
The food of this place is based on the preparation of fresh seafood (mussels, rapan, barabule, pelengas), supplemented with meat, fruits, vegetables of local farmers and seasoned with overseas delicacies (parmesan, passion fruit, chuka, ginger, pistachio). Skillful hands of the chef produce from this set unthinkable combinations: salmon with “orzo” (a kind of small Italian pasta) from carrots, avocado cream and salsa from mushrooms, and on top of citrus sauce. What kind of taste will come out of all this? Or beef stroganes from veal and rapana with puree from cheese, yes seasoned with beet cream with peanuts. To put it mildly, a combination to which Russia is not accustomed.
This is the same “molecular kitchen”, which sets itself the task of combining different tastes, highlighting from them in the amount of something special and unique. Particular attention is also paid to heat treatment, so as not to lose taste, consistency and aroma with excessive heating.
It should also be noted that the menu is developed in the canvas of the latest achievements of enogastronomy* (the science of the correct combination of wine and food). And each dish is successfully combined with a certain variety of local wine, for details you need to contact the waiter.
*What you need to know: red wines are suitable for hot meat dishes and spicy snacks. To white seafood and fish in any form. To pink fit smoked, goat cheese. The universal and best snack is cheese. Categorically not served with wines: grapes, mayonnaise, vinegar, mint, nuts, herring, sausages, vanilla, mushrooms, etc.
Affordable prices in“Vinoterria”do not contradict the quality: the average bill is 1500 rubles. With this money, you can afford: the main course (585 p), vegetable salad (350 p), bread basket, coffee and a couple of glasses of wine.
The chef of the restaurant, Eugene Viytyk, positions himself as the president of the guild, the holder of the order and the person of the year. This is a very purposeful and ambitious person who has to work scrupulously on every dish in order not to lose prestige and justify his titles. When watching a video about how Eugene cooks his dishes, there is a feeling that he is not a cook, but an alchemist or a scientist trying to turn mercury into gold.
The interiors of the institution, made in the style of “Provence”, delight with an abundance of light colors and panoramic views of the vineyards. If the weather allows, you can always arrange lunch in a cozy courtyard under the canopy of a sprawling tree and view the well-groomed landscape of the surroundings under a glass of local grape gifts.
When visiting this place, it is necessary to remember that people have different tastes. And the “high author’s cuisine” is very different from the borscht that people are used to eating at home. In the reviews, some visitors write that they have developed “Paris syndrome” – some discrepancy between objective reality and their expectations. They expected large portions as in the Uzbek teahouse, and then “impose a little”. And the second dish is usually not as “pressoy” as their favorite meat in French. Also noticed claims that the waiters refuse to perform the special whims of visitors and serve on the table what is not on the menu.
Such critics still need to initially find out which institution they came to and what to expect from this format, and what is not worth it. In a gourmet restaurant, it is not customary to hurry, overeat, get drunk, demand what is not on the menu or just sit in a bad mood, looking for something to cling to. It’s moveton and philistinism. In this format of institutions, it is necessary to appreciate a thin bouquet of natural wine, enjoy the serving and décor of the food brought, have a little snack of exquisite food. Then talk, remember, discuss plans. To say goodbye to all thank and in a good mood to go about their business, experiencing lightness in the stomach, a pleasant aftertaste in the mouth, clarity and positivity in the head.
It is also a good idea to taste a cup of fragrant coffee from the barista, and you can also buy blanks from the chef: fish or meat of different types in oil, tomato or own juice, nuts in honey, melon with hazelnuts on honey, etc. Such a snack at an affordable price (from 250 to 450 p for a jar of 350 grams) is suitable as a treat for any holiday.
The motto of the institution: “cheese, wine and real friends should be sustained by time” (Cuban proverb).
Room stock
For a convenient visit to this place, a small hotel has been built, which has all the conditions for a good rest. The number of rooms in it is bright and spacious, with high-quality decoration, but without excessive pomp. Available for check-in 8 rooms, which have a shower, toilet, washbasin, hairdryer, air conditioning and all necessary accessories. Plastic double-glazed windows create, if necessary, silence and restful sleep. Signature breakfast in the restaurant and grain “coffee on the road” cause positive reviews of guests.
Average prices for the resort area of the Krasnodar Territory: from 3800 rubles per night. It is better to book in advance, because this place is popular with travelers to the Crimea.
Excursions and holidays
Visitors are advised to take a tour with a tasting of local wines. It includes an inspection of lands and plantations, wine production, a lecture by a charming guide and a sample of wine samples with explanations of nuances. It is necessary to arrange an excursion in advance by phone.
This “wine area” is also well suited for weddings, corporate parties and wakes. You can rent the whole complex at once, agree on the menu and wine list, and determine the guests for the night in the hotel. The beauty of the interior of the restaurant, breakfast in the courtyard under the canopy of trees by a small pond and panoramic views of the vineyard will leave positive memories for guests.
It is also necessary to respond to those skeptics who prefer to buy wines in the shops of their city. The fact is that the best samples are sold at the place of manufacture: they are bought up by local residents and guests, drunk in restaurants and tastings. For sale in stores is all the rest of the products, and besides, and at a higher price, since it is necessary to take into account the cost of logistics and the surcharge of the dealer. It is for these reasons that lovers of good wine are purchased from private winemakers such as Valery Nesterov and his family business.
