TheCrimea.These southern territories were annexed in the late XVIIthcentury by Katherine the Great. And nowadays Novorossiysk is one of the largestRussian ports. At the foothills of huge mountains there are a lot of hotelsand places for having rest. Thousands of Soviet people attracted by the BlackSea to come here as vacationers could buy a putyovka, a trade union certificatefor room and board. People could buy it for a small percentage of its actualcost.That s why most of the Soviet people could enjoy their holidays at theseashore.
Fishermen can still be found here. They don t have a large catch insummer. During a high tourist season they have enough fish only to feedthemselves. The catch is better in winter, only then they can sell their fish. But even in summer they enjoy going into the sea and admire its beauty.Fruit trees flourish on fertile soils of this region.Fruits are pickedup, canned and sent to other regions of Russia where the growing season is notlong enough to let fruit ripen.The lime-rich soil is especially favourable for growing grapes that areused in the production of sparkling wine. Champaign almost tops the list offavourite alcoholic beverages drunk by Russian people, especially on festiveoccasions.
The champagne making process is rather long. First of all the wineis left to ferment, it may age from 18 months to 5 years.The top of the bottlewhere the sediment lies is frozen, then the bottle is opened and once thesediment is out, the bottle is recouped and secured with wire. Alexander V. Myskin, gr. 2o1.