In a stunning display of quality and value, Krasnostop Zolotovsky by Vedernikov Winery has become the most expensive Russian wine!

We're delighted to announce that the first auction of Russian wines held by Abrau-Durso and Vedernikov Winery was a great success! A whopping 6.46 million rubles were collected. The Krasnostop Zolotovsky 2012 vintage from Vedernikov Winery, which was offered in a lot of two bottles, was the most expensive item in the auction, selling for 1.5 million rubles. The cost of one bottle was an astonishing 750 thousand rubles, a record-breaking sum for a bottle of modern Russian wine at auction. The proceeds will be donated to charity.

The closed auction, along with a gastronomic dinner held in its honor, was a highly anticipated event, even amidst the bustling social scene in Moscow during December. The evening's guests were presented with a distinctive opportunity to purchase exclusive collections of wines from various vintages, including some that had never previously been available for purchase. Two wineries presented rare treasures from their collections at a single auction event. Vedernikov Winery presented 2012 Krasnostop Zolotovsky in oak and 2014 vintage Krasnostop Zolotovsky. Abrau-Durso—1979 and 1989 vintage dated sparkling wines. The total revenue from the two wineries for the 18 bottles sold was 6,460,000 rubles. A significant portion of the collected funds will be allocated to the "Artist" Charitable Foundation, which provides vital support to elderly artists and cultural luminaries.

The auction was hosted by the legendary theater and film actor, co-founder of the "Artist" Charitable Foundation Leonid Yarmolnik and the main shareholder of the Abrau-Durso Group of Companies Boris Titov. They were accompanied by Gulbala Zeidov, the chief winemaker of Vedernikov Winery, and Maksim Troychuk, the head of Vedernikov Winery. Pavel Titov, the President of the Abrau-Durso Group of Companies, gave the auction guests a very warm welcome with a lovely speech.

The starting bid was set at 200,000 rubles for a lot of two bottles. The absolute record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a set of two bottles of Krasnostop Zolotovsky 2012 harvest in oak was 1,500,000 rubles. It would be fair to say that previously, no Russian wine produced in the 20th or 21st century was sold at auction for such an amount.

All wines offered at auction are genuine, rare specimens with their own historical background. For example, the 2012 vintage Krasnostop Zolotovsky, a wine made from the autochthonous Krasnostop grape, became the first Russian wine to receive a gold medal at the international Mundus Vini competition in 2014. The auction included four of the winery's eight remaining bottles from this year, which were a significant milestone for the Russian wine industry.

The second most expensive lot is an absolutely amazing sparkling wine from the Abrau-Durso wine collection—the 1979 millesime. This incredible set of two samples left the auction for a whopping 1,250,000 rubles, or 625,000 rubles per bottle! The collectible value of millesime is matched only by its historical context. In 1979, the now familiar iron crown cap was first used for secondary fermentation in a bottle, marking a shift from previous practices that used plastic. This change reflected a new composition of the wine. This complex, rich, and classic wine, made from the Riesling and Aligoté varieties, has acquired a yellow gold color, a generous mousse, and a complex structure over 45 years of aging.

Yesterday, guests seized a rare opportunity to purchase en primeur wines. This is a term used by the wine trade to describe the practice of booking wines that are still maturing at the time of sale. Those who expressed a desire to purchase Krasnostop Zolotovsky 2021 at a fixed price (5,000 rubles per bottle) at the evening event will receive it no earlier than February 2026. Up to this point, it will be aged in oak barrels at the Vedernikov Winery in the Rostov region. Furthermore, the 2002 vintage dated sparkling wine Abrau-Durso was also exhibited at a fixed price of 72,000 rubles per bottle. That evening, the guests were treated to an exclusive presentation of the Vedernikov Winery's latest and greatest: a red wine from the 2020 harvest, aged to perfection.

"The country's first auction of this scale dedicated to Russian wines took place, and it was a huge success! It proved that people are so very interested in these wines as investment pieces. People are willing to pay serious money to get these unique samples of domestic wines as if they were already rare pieces of art. I'm absolutely certain that our lots from Abrau-Durso and Vedernikov Winery will be a fantastic addition to the private collections of knowledgeable connoisseurs! I am certain that some purchases were made for investment purposes. I'm so happy that this event showed once again how much people are starting to recognize and appreciate domestic winemaking, including a very sophisticated audience. And it was a wonderful way to contribute to the noble charitable goals of the "Artist" Foundation!," Boris Titov, the main shareholder of the Abrau-Durso Group of Companies, commented on the auction results.

The auction was held in the format of a gastronomic dinner. The esteemed executive chef Evgeny Vikentiev of the Beluga restaurant graciously presented an author's set for specially selected wines. In his remarks, he humbly highlighted that he got the privilege of using Vedernikov Winery wines for his chefs-d'œuvre more than a decade ago, when it was not yet a widely embraced trend.

"It is always a pleasure to work with rare wines, so I have prepared a few special dishes for dinner. We were honored to present the 2006 Abrau-Durso millesime, which we have exclusively reserved for this dinner. It boasts a vibrant bouquet, and we have selected a similarly bright pairing to complement it: the taste of oysters is artfully enhanced by nuances of sea buckthorn, almonds, and balm mint. We were also delighted to present the 2014 Krasnostop Zolotovsky wine, a truly distinctive offering, in a pairing with Nizhny Novgorod duck breast accompanied by a delicate pumpkin and rose sauce, as well as eggplant and pecan cream," said Evgeny Vikentiev, executive chef of the Beluga restaurant.

The following wines were presented at the auction:

1.     Abrau-Durso Millesime, 1989 Edition—Set of two samples, estimated at 500,000 rubles.

2.     Abrau-Durso Millesime, 1979 Edition—Set of two samples, estimated at 1,250,000 rubles.

3.     Abrau-Durso Millesime, 1989 Edition and Abrau-Durso Millesime, 1979 Edition—Set of two samples, estimated at 710,000 rubles

4.     Krasnostop Zolotovsky, Aged in Oak, 2014 Harvest—Set of six samples, estimated at 1,000,000 rubles.

5.     Krasnostop Zolotovsky, Aged in Oak, 2012 Harvest—Set of two samples, estimated at 1,500,000 rubles.

6.     Krasnostop Zolotovsky, Aged in Oak, 2012 Harvest and Krasnostop Zolotovsky, Aged in Oak, 2014 Harvest—Set of four samples, estimated at 1,500,000 rubles.