AFP: Kyiv cries foul as historic Crimean wines go under hammer
A bottle of 1891 Livadia Red Port Wine, embossed with the Tsar Nicholas II seal can be seen at an auction house in London, Nov. 22, 2007 (AP Photo)
Massandra was already at the centre of a scandal in September when Russian leader and ex-Italian premier reportedly enjoyed a USD 100,000 bottle of 240-year-old sherry
Legendary Crimean winemaker Massandra, once a supplier to Russia’s Tsar Nicolas II, has provoked the ire of Kyiv by putting 13,000 vintage bottles up for auction on Tuesday, December 29.
Read also Washington Times: Ukraine wineries struggle amid standoff with Russia
Massandra described the wines, some dating back to 1935, as “pearls that have endured heavy ordeals including during the war”.
One 1944 muscat “was produced in Yalta just after its liberation from German troops,” it noted in a statement launching the sale being held at the winery and online.
Read also Crimean winery head in trouble after uncorking USD 90,000 wine for Putin and Berlusconi
The Massandra region, which belonged to the Ukrainian state until the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, is now under Moscow’s control with the rest of the peninsula. Kyiv immediately reacted to the sale, threatening a criminal probe over “squandering Ukrainian heritage”, said Olexandre Liev, a Ukrainian agriculture ministry official. Full story
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 3]