Friends of my parents found/remembered this in their wine cooler and have no idea what it is (I believe they’re quite elderly.
Would welcome feedback as to whether there’s anything notable about it, taste/nostalgia/value wise.
Well, I’ve had Soviet -era champagnes and they were drinkable, that’s about it. This was mass-produced stuff in the USSR and longevity is likely to be an issue.
From the label, this is actual USSR sparkling wine, not more recent post-Soviet sparkling wine under the old label. The top band of white, although scuffed, pretty clearly says “imported from USSR”. This probably was destined for the Eastern European market before 1989, probably Poland. It is very unlikely to have only Champagne varieties in it; it’s very likely to have aligote or god knows what else in it.
The small print between the big words “Sovietskoye” and “Igristoye” translates as “Demi-sec.” If you have ever had any Soviet wine you will know that Demi-sec means “very sweet”.
Personally I think this is more interesting intact as a curiosity rather than as something to be consumed. Also — and I am not joking about this — run a dosimeter by this to make sure it’s not radioactive.
That said I have also had modern Russian sparkling wine (Novy Svet) which, while not exactly challenging DP, was pleasant and light
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3.6 Roentgen , not great not terrible…
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Thank you.
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There are tales of a Moscow office manager who dropped dead of testicular cancer in the early 1990s — an investigation revealed that his chair had been made of radioactive wood….