Stavropol territory > Prasnoveyskoe wine factory

Prasnoveyskoe wine factory

The lazy humming of bees in the heat at midday... the fragrance of sun-warmed grape vines... the glory of berries bursting with juice hanging in bunches from the branch... Preserving the magical moments of summer is a genuine art. In the village of Praskoveya, in Stavropol Krai's Budyonnovsk County, it has been mastered in full.

The winemaking traditions of ZAO Praskoveyskoe have been evolving for more than 100 years. The unique knowledge gathered over the years can be tasted in every drop of its handiwork. Prasnoveyskiy Muscat, Bouquet of Prikumye, Amber of Stavropol, Prikumskoe White- these vintages are famous well beyond the Krai’s borders. The vineyard s dry wines- Rkatseli, Sauvignon, Saperavi and Cabernet- have their admirers too. The recipes and techniques have been passed on from generation to generation of wine masters. And modern equipment has enabled them to be brought to perfection.

The story of spirits in Praskoveya started a little later, but turned out to be no less illustrious. In the 1950s the Soviet school of cognac production was opened right here, and this oldest of vineyards grappled with the task of blazing a trail with honour. Today the cognacs produced here compete with the famous French brands with ease. Labels produced from our own spirits- KV Stavropol, KVVK Dombai, KS Prasnoveyskiy, KS Sevastopol and, of course, OS Prasnoveyskiy (a 20-year vintage)- long ago became the pride of the company.

Prasoveyskoe Vineyard enjoys deserved respect in professional circles, and striving to attain new heights is bearing fruit. Quality is constantly improving, and in its wake the awards cabinet is filling with new medals, certificates and diplomas. At the present moment it contains 320 (!) awards garnered from Russia-wide and international competitions and exhibitions. The famed wines and cognacs have brought worldwide glory to the masters of Prasnoveya. However, popularity has its pitfalls: attempts have been made to forge copies. The company has decided to combat this by opening its own retail network. Today more than 30 ZAO Prasnoveyskoe “factory shops” are already operational across Russia. The company has representation in Moscow, Sochi and Rostov, as well as in Bulgaria. These efforts, along with the use of original packaging, are helping to counter the pirates.

The tasting and trading halls of the firm’s shops are never empty, but wine afficionados are impressed above all by the winery. It has been called an original national treasure. Around 100,000 bottles of unique wines dating as far back as 1945 are stored in its cellars, and it is they that make Stavropol’s Prasnoveya a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the country.

Along with preserving tradition and following up success, the vineyard devotes a lot of attention to development. Technological as much as adjustments to the range. They are not afraid to experiment here, and that is meeting with approval from consumers.

The past decade has been a time of revolutionary innovation for ZAO Prasnoveyskoe. In 2003 licensed production of the unique Kosogorov Samogon No.5 was established on the initiative of the vineyard’s general director, Boris Pakhunov, thus becoming the first legal samogon, or moonshine, in Russia. It is produced by distilling grape wine.