Friday evening. The station square of Feodosia fills with people. It smells of fun and draught wine. Three days in September, the city, the one that God gave, holds International Feodosia wine festival «WineFeoFest».
The festival is held brightly, noisily and at once on several sites: the station square, near the cinema «Crimea» and at the Aivazovsky fountain.
On the perimeter of the station square — tents, in which the leading wine producers from Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Georgia, China and the Republic of Chile present their products.
If you want — «stock up» on bottles, if you want — take it on bottling, if you want — drink it on the spot (a plastic glass of wine — five hryvnias). People are happily tasting the best varieties of wines from domestic and foreign producers, comparing and buying their favorites. They dance and sing along. In general, they relax, enjoying the extensive concert program.
In addition to the incessant tastings there is a costumed procession (theater «Show of Giants» from Evpatoria) on stilts along the embankment, and voting for the best brand of wine, and excursions to wineries in Feodosia to «observe the birth of wine», and a raffle of wines.
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A unique program was prepared by the Feodosia Museum of Antiquities, the National Art Gallery named after I. Aivazovsky and the Museum of Wine and Wine of the Russian Federation. I. Aivazovsky and Grin Museum. Do you want a lecture of a professional sommelier? Easy! You can also climb into a huge ancient barrel that is on the station square and crush grapes with your own feet. Wow! And it’s good to know that the custodians of order in these festival days are «merciful» to those who did not calculate their strength and had too much to drink.
In general, a sea of surprises, gifts and amazing emotions.
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And then there’s the fantastic holiday fireworks. And magic balloons that are launched into the sky to fulfill your most cherished wishes. And let next year «WineFeoFest» not only repeat itself, but become better than the first one. For this, perhaps, we will have to organize more «wine» tents, so that the queues at them were not so frighteningly huge. And make the prices a little lower than the festival prices.
Feodosia is not just the cradle of winemaking from the times of ancient Tauris, it is an eternally young city, one of the centers of the Great Silk Road, the birthplace of the brilliant marine artist and philanthropist Ivan Aivazovsky and the favorite place of the romantic writer Alexander Grin.
The timing of the festival was not chosen by chance. September is the best season in all respects: the sea is warm, the air is enchantingly caressing, there is an abundance of fruits, and most importantly — grapes, the taste of which can be compared with the made products, to feel the magic of its transformation into truly divine drinks.
All those who came to the festival will be able to participate in the contest of wine connoisseurs, autograph show, tasting. The decoration of the festival is the choice of the Festival Wine Queen, who will be the guest of a similar event in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). There will be a separate program for children with juice tasting and animation activities.