Check out our unique range of wines that are no longer produced. The wines we offer were imported to the Netherlands in 2012. We sell our stock until it runs out.
All of Massandra’s wines have traditionally (1894) been produced organically. The vines of the vineyards are more than 100/120 years old. Massandra was given “carte blanche” first by the tsar and later by successive Soviet leaders regarding the cost of producing these special wines. All wines were produced without adding sulphite (cold stabilisation method).
Due to the perfect subtropical climate on the southern coast of Crimea and the huge number of 4,000 workers, first the Tsar’s serfs and later Soviet Union officials/gardeners, the vineyards have always been “manned” in such a way that they could manually keep the vineyards clean of e.g. bad mold or other impurities that could harm the grape harvest. Hence, chemicals to combat impurities never came into play. The “carte blanche” also contributed to Massandra being able to bottle the wines cost-effectively without the addition of sulphite.
Oreanda Massandra (Херес)
OREANDA (ХЕРЕС) vintage 2007 was awarded 11 gold, 2 silver medals, and 1 Grand Prix Cup. Oreanda called ‘Херес’ in Ukraine, is a fortified wine produced by the sherry method (solera) using flor. Oreanda has been produced since 1944 using the old method as it was done in Jerez de la Frontera in the mid-1800s.
Oreanda, named after the village of Oreanda, on the southern coast of Crimea, where the vineyards are located. The wine is fortified with grain alcohol, as has been done since the beginning of 1894. Grain alcohol has no undertaste and allows the wine to come out completely as it is, unlike grape alcohol as used in Spanish Sherry, Madeira, etc. Oreanda has traditionally been organically produced and no sulphite is added to any of the Massandra wines. Oreanda has a Sherry flavour that is still sometimes recognised at old Sherry bodegas in Spain if one still has Sherry from the mid-1800s. The flavour is most reminiscent of an Amontillado.
Oreanda Wine Characteristics
Oreanda is made from Sercial, Verdelho, and the indigenous Albillo grape. The wine has an intense amber colour. The bouquet is bright and fine with exceptionally complex hints of nuts, green walnuts, pear, melon, and cognac. The characterful palate is full and harmonious with pleasant hints of deep roasted nuts, bitter almonds and rich, very long (up to 2 minutes!) finish.
“The Sherries make for some of the most outstanding drinking imaginable.”
— Frank Martell, director of fine and rare wine at Heritage Auctions
Imperial Massandra (Мадера)
IMPERIAL vintage 2005 was awarded 10 gold and 5 silver medals. Initially, this wine was made only for the tsar and his family. Tsar Nicholas II had an excellent knowledge of wine and a distinct love of Sherry, Madeira and Port. This type of wine was made as Madeira wine and was for the first time produced around 1894.
Specifically, the Crimean-Abillo grape used in Imperial Massandra is grown on the sun-heated slate soil of the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains. The well-ripened Abillo grape gave the wine character and a distinct flavour. The wine is aged for 5 years in weather conditions in 80% filled oak barrels (Caucasian oak) outdoors directly on the coast. After 5 years, 40% has evaporated. One takes this for granted because of the quality and intensity achieved. The wine then matures further in bottle and is finally released on the market after 6 to 7 years. Imperial Massandra is produced organically without the addition of sulphite. Imperial Massandra is fortified with grain alcohol.
Imperial Wine Characteristics
The wine has an amber/gold colour. The bouquet is bright, ripe, and richly fragrant with a spicy hint of deep-roasted hazelnuts and almonds. The palette is harmonious, with pleasant bitter notes and nice undertones of vanilla, and cognac. It has an extended, noble finish with a refreshing character of almond bitters and hazelnuts.
“Scarcity and quality together make something marketable, but there are so many other things that contribute to the cool factor of what we find precious. Massandra in many ways owns a bigger part of my heart than the classics […] because there is so much more than quality in the bottle.”
— Frank Martell, director of fine and rare wine at Heritage Auctions
South Coast Kagor (КАГОР)
SOUTH COAST KAGOR (КАГОР) vintage 2008 was awarded 8 gold and 2 silver medals. South Coast Kagor was initially only a mass-produced wine for the chapel close to the tsar’s country residence in Crimea. Production had always been limited to no more than 30,000 bottles a year.
The wine was made from the Saparavi grape, a grape brought to Crimea from Georgia some 3,000 years ago, probably by the Skythians. The deep red colour of its flesh and skin made this grape very suitable for a mass-produced wine. This wine was never intended for sale. The wine is aged for 3 years in Caucasian oak barrels before bottling. It is produced organically and without the addition of sulphite.
Kagor Wine Characteristics
South Coast Kagor has an intense deep ruby red colour. The bouquet is rather complex with hints of cream and blackcurrant, blackberry, forest floor, and dark chocolate. The palette is full, and harmonious with a pleasant balance of tannins and notes of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. Although the wine naturally contains 16% sugar, the finish is remarkably dry and extremely long.
If you want to buy our Massandra wines, or if you have general questions, please get in touch by sending an email to jan@massandrawine.org
On request, we will send you our price list or make an appointment for a tasting session.
“But damn, what a wine (made via the sherry method). Hardly available here. Should you do see it: buy it!”
— Felix Wilbrink, Dutch wine reviewer at De Telegraaf