Golitsyn palace, Noviy Svit

Golitsyn palace, Noviy Svit is the historic estate and sparkling-wine house founded in 1878 by Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsyn on the eastern coast of Crimea, near Sudak. The estate, originally called "Paradise" (Paradiz), became the first house of champagne in Russia and the first enterprise in the Russian Empire to produce sparkling wine on an industrial scale using the classic method with bottle ageing on the lees. The brand is closely tied to the Golitsyn palace itself — the "Big House" completed around 1880 — which today houses a museum of viticulture and winemaking opened in 1978 for the winery's centenary. The winery's product range centres on Russian champagne (Rossiyskoye shampanskoye) and sparkling wines. Its catalogue includes aged brut, vintage and limited-edition collections, and cuvées such as "Noviy Svit. Blanc de Noir," "Noviy Svit. Coronation," "Noviy Svit. Riesling Cuvée de Prestige," and a red Cabernet Sauvignon sparkling wine. The house markets its wines as elegant, classic-method sparkling wines with extended lees ageing — at least 12 months for the aged range and at least 36 months for the vintage collection. The estate is located in the village of Novyi Svit, Crimea, and its official website presents it as the oldest winemaking enterprise in Crimea with a rich history. The Golitsyn palace building is recognised as a cultural heritage site — a regional-level object in the Russian Federation, which controls the disputed territory, and a local-level monument in Ukraine. The museum and the winery's tasting hall in the cellars continue to operate. The brand's identity rests on its founder's legacy: Prince Golitsyn, known as the "King of Experts," pioneered industrial sparkling-wine production in the Russian Empire, carved kilometres of tunnels into the surrounding cliffs for ageing wine, and established the estate as a centre of winemaking culture. The house continues to follow the traditions and values he laid down.

The estate that became Golitsyn palace, Noviy Svit was founded in 1878, when Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsyn acquired an estate of the Kherkheulidze princes on the eastern coast of Crimea, near Sudak. The property lay in a picturesque valley called "Paradiz" (from the Greek for "paradise"), where the prince established an experimental winemaking enterprise — planting vineyards and building cellars. Golitsyn had long been seriously engaged in winemaking, developing his tasting experience during travels in France and Germany, and had already been growing grapes in the Feodosia area of Crimea. Initially production was small, amounting to a few thousand bottles. But by 1890 the Noviy Svit estate had established industrial production of sparkling wine, laying down tens of thousands of bottles — the first such undertaking in the history of the Russian Empire. To realise this ambitious project, Golitsyn ordered tunnels to be carved into the surrounding cliffs of Karaul-Oba and Koba-Kaya, about 3 km long with a total area of 9,800 square metres. In 1882 the first batch of sparkling wine was bottled at the house, and soon the brands "Paradiz" and "Noviy Svit" appeared. In 1899, having received the highest international recognition a year earlier, Prince Golitsyn — by then recognised as the "King of Experts" — devoted his life to scientific work in viticulture and winemaking. Only in 1905 did he order a small batch to be laid down in the cellars. The estate's "Big House," built to Golitsyn's own design and completed around 1880, served as the family residence; the left part was occupied by the prince himself, while three rooms in the right wing housed family members. In 1912 the Russian emperor Nicholas II and his retinue visited the estate. Over the years guests included Count P. K. Benckendorff, Prince V. N. Orlov, the poet M. A. Voloshin, and the writer A. N. Tolstoy. In January 1918 power in Crimea passed to the Socialist Soviet Republic of Taurida, and a wave of nationalisation of landed estates began, which in conditions of anarchy amounted to looting. This fate befell Noviy Svit as well. The Golitsyns had assembled an extensive library and a large collection of art objects; a significant part of the collections was lost through the looting of the estate. After a succession of governments, Soviet power finally prevailed in Crimea from 16 November 1920. On 1 December 1920, by Order No. 2 of the Revolutionary Committee, a decree was issued removing from private ownership — whether of various departments or private individuals — all estates of the Southern Coast of Crimea from Sudak to Sevastopol inclusive. They were taken into account by the Administration of South-Coast Soviet Farms of Crimea, which introduced management based on the "Regulation on Soviet Farms." On 8 September 1978, for the 100th anniversary of the creation of the winery, a museum of viticulture and winemaking was opened in the estate building, along with a tasting hall of the champagne winery in the cellar; both continue to operate. The museum's exposition is housed in seven halls, and its holdings number 413 items. Among the most valuable are a cast-iron bust of Emperor Alexander I, ordered for the State School of Winemaking in Sudak; archaeological finds related to winemaking; a wine goblet of pink crystal presented to Golitsyn in 1903 by Moscow winemakers; parts of a 1896 tea service with hand-painted enamel; 19th-century furniture and a piano; and genuine medals awarded to Golitsyn's wines at international exhibitions and tastings. In 2015 the museum obtained several copies of paintings from the prince's collection seized in the 1920s, the originals of which are now held by the Sevastopol Art Museum named after M. P. Kroshitsky; the collection was supplemented by 10 reproductions of paintings from the collection. The estate building itself is a one-storey stone structure with an extensive basement, rectangular in plan, measuring 34 metres long and 10.5 metres wide. Because of the terrain, it stands on a high plinth and from the north-east and south-east appears almost a storey high, looking multi-storey from below. The layout is mixed — enfilades and corridors with one-sided arrangement of rooms. Externally the building is eclectic, mixing elements of Moorish style with classicism. A wide external stone staircase leads to the main entrance and veranda, wrapping around the building on three sides. The basement floor is non-residential, with its entrance on the main facade under the veranda. The first floor housed living quarters. The main north-east facade has at its centre an open veranda on a podium, crowned by a square tower under a now-lost cupola. The arcade around the rectangular veranda is composed of horseshoe arches with festoons — a popular element of Maghreb architecture. The large basement, with a total area of 315.5 square metres, is fully preserved; its arched vaults are at least 6 metres high. In the walls of the basement, special niches — kazy — were built in two tiers, in which bottles of collectible wines were aged. A fireplace with a direct English flue and a special bent chimney was built to dry and fumigate the basement. Today the winery continues to produce Russian champagne and sparkling wines under the Noviy Svit brand, following the traditions and values laid down by its founder.

• 2015

  The museum obtains copies of paintings from the prince's collection seized in the 1920s.

• 1978

  On 8 September, for the winery's centenary, a museum of viticulture and winemaking and a tasting hall open in the estate building and cellar.

• 1920

  On 1 December, Order No. 2 of the Revolutionary Committee removes all Southern Coast estates from private ownership.

• 1918

  Power in Crimea passes to the Socialist Soviet Republic of Taurida; nationalisation and looting of estates begins, affecting Noviy Svit.

• 1912

  Emperor Nicholas II and his retinue visit the estate.

• 1905

  Golitsyn orders a small batch of wine to be laid down in the cellars.

• 1899

  After receiving the highest international recognition, Prince Golitsyn devotes himself to scientific work in viticulture and winemaking.

• 1890

  Industrial production of sparkling wine is established, with tens of thousands of bottles laid down — the first such undertaking in the Russian Empire.

• 1882

  The first batch of sparkling wine is bottled at the house; the brands "Paradiz" and "Noviy Svit" soon appear.

• 1880

  The "Big House" (Golitsyn palace) is completed to the prince's own design.

• 1878

  Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsyn acquires the estate of the Kherkheulidze princes near Sudak and founds an experimental winemaking enterprise in the "Paradiz" valley.

The oldest sparkling-wine house in Crimea and the first in Russia, producing classic-method Russian champagne with extended lees ageing, rooted in the legacy of Prince Lev Golitsyn.

• Российское шампанское выдержанное брют белое «Новый Свет»

  Aged white brut Russian champagne with at least 12 months of lees ageing in the bottle.

• Российское шампанское коллекционное экстра брют белое «Новый Свет. Блан де Нуар»

  Vintage extra brut white Russian champagne from the collection range.

• Российское шампанское коллекционное брют белое «Новый Свет. Коронационное»

  Vintage brut white Russian champagne from the collection range.

• Российское шампанское коллекционное экстра брют белое «Новый Свет. Рислинг Кюве Де Престиж»

  Vintage extra brut white Russian champagne, a Riesling cuvée de prestige.

• Российское шампанское коллекционное экстра брют белое «Новый Свет. Кюве»

  Vintage extra brut white Russian champagne from the collection range.

• Игристое вино выдержанное брют красное «Новый Свет. Каберне Совиньон»

  Aged brut red sparkling wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Игристое вино выдержанное полусладкое красное «Новый Свет. Каберне Совиньон»

  Aged semi-sweet red sparkling wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon.

1. 1Новый Свет - Российское шампанское (official website homepage)nsvet-crimea.ru
2. 2Наша история (official website history page)nsvet-crimea.ru
3. 3Golitsyn palace, Noviy Svit (Wikidata)wikidata.org
4. 4Дом-музей князя Л. С. Голицына в Новом Свете (Russian Wikipedia)ru.wikipedia.org