Gai-Kodzor is a village located near Anapa in the Krasnodar area. It is on this site where Greek sailors founded a distillery in the fifth century BC.
The city was active in commerce with many countries and adjacent towns, and wine has always been one of the leading commercial products.
The terroir of Gai-Kodzor
Today this wine project has gained some reputation since the early 2000s. Edouard Alexandrov, one of the co-owners, and the Frenchman Alain Dugas, are at the origin of this project.
They initiated the production of excellent wine in Russia and the culture of French grape varieties in Gai-Kodzor. As a result, Gai-Kodzor Vineyards LLC was created in 2004. The area of the vineyards is 70 hectares, and 14 varieties of grapes are grown on the estate.
Grapes are not available on the market and are used only for wine production. The wine is bottled in rented facilities. The bottling of the wine is first carried out at the Castle “The big Vostok” then in the company Soyuz Vino. Here, two wines are produced, Gai-Kodzor for retail (bottles with a black-orange label) and Horeca, for restaurants (bottles with a white label).
Mountains
The parcels are located in the mountains and have a relatively poor and stony floor, ideal for cultivating high-quality grape varieties. The lower Caucasian mountains are from the Semisamsky chain, located near Gai-Kodzor. They surround the site on both sides. This forms a microclimate with different precipitation levels.
The sea
It is located 5 kilometers from the vineyards. Such proximity makes it possible to avoid severe negative temperatures in winter and makes the climate quieter and “soft” the rest of the time.
Wind
The Black Sea with the “Northern Ost” (Analog of French Mistral) makes it possible to ventilate the vineyards and reduces the risk of contracting diseases due to unfavorable conditions.
The vineyard of Gai-Kodzor
The vineyards with 70 hectares are at the beginning of the Caucasus mountains below an altitude of 300 to 320 meters. Thus, 14 varieties, mainly from the 10-year average of the Rhone, were purchased in one of the best nurseries in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region.
Gai-Kodzor wines
White wines (Horeca) Between 650 and 1200 Rub the bottle Viognier, Russan, and Muscat are white wines products in relatively small lots (3 to 13 miles bottles of each).
The wines are light, mineral, and fresh. In the summer of 2016, the dry muscat was born. It’s a new, bright and sunny wine.
Red and Rose Wines (Horeca) Between 650 and 1200 Rub
The red wines are formed by simple assemblages of Pinot Noir or classic assemblage of interesting grapes of the Rhône such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Kalado. In addition, some wines allow a small use of Malbec.
The Gai-kodzor Rosé uses conventional grape varieties of Provence Rosé wines: Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah. Wine is fresh, lightweight, and gets married well with many summer dishes from the Black Sea cuisine.
