Red Corner: Georgian Wine Fraud

by Neil Woodburn on

During Soviet times, Georgian wines were the most outstanding wines available in the USSR. Stalin, who was Georgian himself, loved these wines. Last summer, when I traveled through the region, I grew to love them as well.

So why do so many bottles taste so very bad these days, especially in Russia? The answer is not due to inferior grapes or winemaking, but the result of counterfeiters. Nefarious bottlers are hijacking the popularity of Georgian brands with not only cheaper wine from places like Bulgaria, but sometimes, not even wine itself but colored dyes and a touch of fermentation.

According to an article in The New York Times, officials estimate that 80% of Georgian wine sold in Russia is counterfeit-the majority of which is actually produced in Russia and affixed with fake Georgian labels. You can just imagine what such a practice is doing to the Georgian brand. But, it looks like it’s not going to matter anyway. Just last month, the Russian government outlawed the import of Georgian wines, citing high pesticide levels-although most suspect the Russians did so for political reasons that had nothing to do with the wine itself.

Nonetheless, if you can get your hands on a legitimate bottle, give it a try. The winemakers in Georgia will be very happy you did. And so will you.

Red Corner: Vilnius, Tallinn, and Riga

by Neil Woodburn on

The Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were the last to be incorporated into the Soviet Union, and boy do they show it. The extra 20 years of European influence can still be seen today as these three countries, now independent, are rapidly becoming hot tourist destinations-thanks in large part to this quaint European vibe still very much alive.

The flavor of these three capitals is succinctly captured in an LA Times piece by Beverly Beyette who heaps accolades upon the Art Nouveau façades of Riga, the walled old town of Tallinn, and the hidden courtyards of Vilnius. Vilnius, however, was Beyette’s least favorite of the three capitals, but one which I particularly like; it just takes a little bit more exploring to fully enjoy it.

This fairy tale ambience of the Baltics, however, is offset by dark memories of Soviet and Nazis abuses. Although she doesn’t write too much about it, Beyette does delve outside the idyllic comfort zone of her travels to visit the horrific Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius and The Museum of Occupations in Tallinn. A few hours in either one of these museums can ruin your whole day with the horrors contained within; it is a necessity, however, when visiting the Baltics.

Red Corner: Stalin’s Bunker Opened to Public

by Neil Woodburn on

A company which bought a plot of land in the suburbs of Moscow has discovered that they also bought Stalin’s wartime bunker buried below their new property. Thankfully, being the wise businessmen they are, they decided to open up it up for tours.

I haven’t had the opportunity to check it out myself as it has only recently been opened, but I have come across the following article detailing the tour. And boy does it seem cool. Original statues, maps, tables and a conference room with a domed ceiling are just a few of the items still intact amongst the 200 square meters open to the public. What truly fascinates me, however, are the other 142,800 square meters that remain closed. This is a huge amount of space, enough to hold 2,000 people and a column of tanks.

Apparently access to the bunker was via a secret subway that runs directly from the Kremlin. Tourists, however, enter from a different entrance as this subway has long been legendary and officially does not exist.

Wow. Show me who I can bribe. I would love to have a few days wandering through those subterranean chambers on my own.

Red Corner: Alco-Checkers Championship

by Neil Woodburn on

Warning: rash generalization to follow.

There is nothing Russians are more passionate about than vodka and chess. So, why not combine them?

This was the perfect, ugly stereotyping lead I was aiming for, but have decided to be a more responsible blogger and stick with the truth instead.

First off, there are plenty of other things that Russians are more passionate about, and if you give me a moment, I’m sure I’ll come up with them. Secondly, the brilliant marketer who decided to combine the best of both worlds deviated slightly from the task. Instead of a chess tournament in which players down shots of vodka for every piece they capture, the Moscow Open Alco-Checkers Championship was a checkers tournament in which players downed shots of tequila for every piece they captured. Slight difference, but one which completely destroyed my tongue-in-cheek lead for this post.

Hmm. Now that I look more closely at the photographs, however, I can make out little chess pieces painted on the sides of the shot glasses. Perhaps the Russian journalist who penned the story played a few games himself and mistranslated the word chess into checkers.

Whatever the case, it appears that a bunch of Russians engaged in a board game tournament in which lots of alcohol was consumed every time an opponent’s piece was captured. Oh, and a woman won. Which makes me think that it probably wasn’t even alcohol, for that matter.

Red Corner: Adventurer Karl Bushby Arrested in Russia

by Neil Woodburn on

Crossing the Bering Strait on foot turned out to be the easy part. Adventurer Karl Bushby, a British paratrooper who is 7 ½ years into a 12-year odyssey to walk around the world, is currently being held by authorities in Lavrenty, Russia.

Since there was no border officials to greet him when stepping off the Bering Strait ice and onto Russian soil, Bushby and a travel partner were on their way to the nearest town to process their arrival papers when they were picked up by authorities. Naturally, their paperwork was not in order and the Russian police weren’t buying into their, “we walked here from Alaska” excuse. Especially considering they were carrying satellite phones, a gun, and sophisticated GPS equipment.

The British government is currently working to negotiate Bushby’s release so that the adventurer can continue on his journey. I might be wrong, but I don’t think this will be the end of Bushby’s challenges in Russia’s Far East.