Samarkand wine tasting

An excellent addition to the sightseeing program in Samarkand will be a wine tasting at the M.A. Khovrenko Samarkand Winery, the oldest in Central Asia.

The tasting room is located in a historic building of the late 19th century. in the house of the Russian merchant Filatov, the founder of the first distillery opened in Uzbekistan back in 1868.

Filatov used local sweet grape varieties, and also adapted the Crimean and European varieties he brought. Four years later, the Samarkand grape wine of Filatov Gardens was awarded gold and silver medals at the world competitions in Paris and Antwerp. In 15 years, he achieved tremendous results – in 1883, at the International Exhibition of Wines and Cognacs in Paris, the Biishty variety he bred (translated as "paradise") received a gold medal. Today, the emblems of international awards are emblazoned on the bottles of 9 types of vintage wines of the factory.

After the Russian Revolution, Filatov had to leave his factory. But when he left, he managed to seal up a collection of his best wines to keep it from being looted. On the eve of the centenary of the plant, during the reconstruction, Filatov caches with a huge collection of the best wines of the founder of the plant were discovered. Even after so many years, they have not lost their taste, but have acquired endurance and a bright tart shade.

The rebirth of the Samarkand winery is associated with the Russian scientist, winemaker and chemist Mikhail Alexandrovich Khovrenko, who was the first professor of winemaking in Russia. During his work in Samarkand, since 1927, he became the creator of new varieties of wines and developed industrial technological schemes for the production of Uzbek table and vintage wines, systematized the compositions of various varieties of wines. Being an exquisite taster, he made a huge contribution to the development of winemaking in Uzbekistan. After Khovrenko's death in 1940, the plant was named after him.

Today, the plant continues to operate, producing several types of wines, cognacs and vodka. In addition, collections are created here, placed in special cellars for long-term aging, and individual collectible wines are put up for auction. Finally, it is worth noting that during its existence, the plant has received more than 80 international awards for its wines. Today, the plant processes about 20 thousand tons of grapes annually and produces table, strong, dessert and vintage wines, cognacs and vodka.

There is a museum at the factory, which houses a collection of the best wines of the combine for the entire XX century. And you can not only see these varieties, but also try them.

After getting acquainted with the history of the plant and winemaking in Uzbekistan, tourists enjoy the tastes of 10 traditional drinks in the tasting room — from mild wine to unique Samarkand balsam. Among them: A delicate bouquet of Gulyakandoz wine, the only one in the world made from kishmish grapes, Aleatico with a subtle aroma of roses, chocolate-colored liqueur Cabernet, fragrant Shirin, ruby Uzbekiston, Hosilot refreshing in the heat, dark golden with the aroma of quince Bouaki, light liqueur wines of Sogdiana and Pearl of Samarkand, soft, amber-golden-colored, scalding Zarafshan cognac, Samarkand balm infused with tart mountain herbs.

You can also taste collectible wines from the last century, stored in the deep cellars of the factory for an additional fee.