Soviet drink golden autumn. Wine "Agdam"

Prepared from ingredients of unknown origin (usually a mixture of alcohol, water, sugar, dyes and fruit by-products). It is used exclusively to achieve alcoholic intoxication; taste does not play a big role. Its consumers are, to a large extent, people prone to alcohol abuse. Bormotukha are cheap, low-quality types of port and vermouth, as well as cheap fruit and berry wines (people called the latter “Fruit-profitable”). Mutterfly often causes poisoning, accompanied by vomiting. A bottle of thick glass with a capacity of 0.7 liters was often called a “fire extinguisher” (Champagne bottle, at that time all bottles were glass and everything could be handed over to a collection point for glass containers, including bottles from for “champagne.” However, such bottles could not be used again for “champagne” due to the presence of high pressure, but such bottles were quite suitable for chatter). Bormotukha was sometimes even sold in glass jars with a capacity of up to three liters, as well as in sealed plastic bags.

Bormotukha was very common throughout the USSR from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. During Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign, a decision was made to curtail the production of chatterbox. Although it was not actually implemented, the production of wine substitutes decreased significantly, and people began to prefer vodka. Subsequently, after the collapse of the USSR, all kinds of cheap and low-quality imported alcohols and vodkas appeared on sale, and then various “medicinal” tinctures in pharmacies with a strength of 60-95% vol. Since the cost of alcohol is always lower than bormotukha in terms of alcohol, bormotukha never regained its former popularity in the Russian Federation, especially since its production is still officially prohibited as an “artificial alcoholic drink.” Young people, who in Soviet times also occupied a significant share of the consumer base of chatter, now prefer widely advertised beer. However, in the Republic of Belarus, chatter is produced and consumed in large quantities, where it is called “ink”.

"Bouquet of Abkhazia"

Typical price is 2 rubles 20 kopecks. The cost of an empty bottle is 12 kopecks. Sometimes they simply wrote “Wine”, “Red”, “Vermouth”, “Fruit and Berry” on the bottle. But there were also more specific names:

• Port 72
• "Port wine 33"
• "Port 777"
• "Pink strong"
• "Solncedar"
• "Gold autumn"
• "Autumn Garden"

Also, the names “Anapa” and “Bouquet of Abkhazia” were often used for chatterbox, although there are also high-quality drinks with this name.

The article uses materials from Wikipedia.

A brief history of the chatterbox

"Solncedar"

Nikita Sergeevich loved communicating with the leaders of countries that had freed themselves from the colonial yoke. His friends included Nehru, Sukarno, Kwame Nkrumah, Nasser and Ahmed Ben Bella, the head of Algeria. Algeria was a French colony from 1830 to 1962. The French brought wine culture to Algeria, and the country became one of the world's largest wine producers. But after independence, more than a million French left the country, which collapsed the local wine consumption market. Winemaking began to decline, but the scale of wine production was still large. France boycotted Algerian wines. Nikita Sergeevich was a big-hearted man and loved to give unexpected gifts to his friends. And he came to the aid of his Algerian friend. A contract was concluded for the supply of Algerian wine to the USSR. Algeria also paid for the supply of military equipment with supplies of wine materials. From 1969 to 1975 alone, the USSR purchased 5 million hectoliters of Algerian wine. Subsequently, Ben Bella was overthrown and taken deep into the Sahara, where he was detained for many years, and then either poisoned, strangled, or simply shot. Khrushchev was removed from all posts in 1964. However, the contract continued to be valid until the start of the anti-alcohol campaign in 1985.

The first batches of Algerian red table dry wine with inscriptions in Arabic and French appeared in Odessa in the late 60s. Odessa residents contemplated with surprise the appearance of this unprecedented drink, sealed with a lead stopper. In terms of color (dark purple) and price (0.92 rubles per 0.5 liter), this was an obvious “ink” that people were afraid to try. But foreign origin, original design... And curiosity took over. We tried it and found out that it was impossible to drink this wild sourness. The prestige of the French as a nation of refined wine connoisseurs has plummeted. The bottles were collecting dust on the shelves. Then they decided to put it into bottling. In the 70s in Tselinograd, “ink” began to be sold in “Juice and Water” departments (in conical containers with taps) at a price of 16 kopecks. glass without time limit. But even avid drunks with a hangover refused to drink “such rubbish at such an early hour.” And then suddenly Algerian began to slowly disappear. But then “Solntsedar” appeared, which became a symbol of the era.

The first acquaintance with this unique drink took place in the early 70s in Novosibirsk. Me and another employee were sent from VNIIZern to the Novosibirsk Agricultural Institute for courses in computer technology. We were accommodated in Akademgorodok in a graduate student dormitory. We immediately met two graduate students and agreed on a feast for the evening according to the well-known parity principle of stagnant times: “girls - a snack, guys - a drink.” For drinks we went to Novosibirsk through the forest on a trolleybus. We got to the first large “Gastronom” and stocked up on vodka. Well, then the old Odessa gentleman in me woke up, and I insisted on buying wine “for the ladies,” although in my heart I was sure that the ladies would prefer vodka. They began to look around the assortment and saw a completely new item. They asked for a bottle for external study. The label depicted a green meadow surrounded by birch trees. The sun is rising on the horizon, and on its powerful rays is written in Slavic script - “Solntsedar”. Wonderful picture! The output parameters of the wine were also inspiring - a land mine of 0.8 liters with a strength of 18 degrees. At the bottom it was written: “Strong red grape wine. OST 18-4-70". Therefore, we are overstocked with new items. In the evening they put it on the table and started advertising. When we drank vodka, it was decided to polish ourselves with Solntsedar. Already during bottling, the smell of wine began to inspire some concern. The taste turned out to be completely unique - the Soviet country had never given birth to such crap. I will keep silent about the results of drinking, because the “Soviet man” is obscene when drunk, and even in this situation.

Already working in Odessa, I was engaged in air purification from acrolein and other aldehydes. He worked closely with chemists and picked up some information about industrial toxicology. On these issues, once in the mid-70s I was on a business trip to Leningrad at VNIIZhirov and lived in a dormitory with a candidate in chemistry. Sciences, an employee of some Central Asian research institute of viticulture and winemaking. He told me about the history of the birth of “Solntsedar”. Having made sure that the Soviet people would not drink Algerian wine either on tap or in “bubbles,” the relevant authorities involved science in solving the problem. The choice fell on Central Asia, which already had experience in the production of low-grade fastenings of the “Pomir” type (written “Pomir”, read “Pomer”). We quickly developed a technology for using Algerian wine materials. At the same time, the candidate of wine sciences reminded me that wines in which the fermentation process stops naturally when it reaches 23g are called strong. Wines in which alcohol is added during the fermentation process to stop fermentation are called fortified. Self-respecting winemakers never add sugar to normal wine.

The original Algerian wine material itself was red Merlot or Cabernet. They began transporting it by tankers to Novorossiysk, where they transported it through a wine pipeline to a local wine factory. True, the tankers were cleaned by steaming and coated with a special food varnish. Next, regular beet sugar was added for taste and ethyl alcohol for strength. After the self-fermentation of these incompatible elements according to the standards of classical winemaking, terrible combinations of essential oils, saturated hydrocarbons, aldehydes and even cyanides were formed, simply poisonous in small doses, and lethal in large doses.

At the same time, my interlocutor noticed that simultaneously with “Solntsedar” there was a surge in the production of “Pink Vermouth” (1.08 rubles per 0.5 liter), a liquid the color of a potassium permanganate solution and also with a large amount of sediment (nifel). People called this swill “Vermut” or “Skvermut”. The candidate argued that both modifications are made using the same technology, and in general the word “mumble” comes from the word “vermouth”, and not from the verb “mumble”, as was commonly thought.

The grandmother went to the market and bought “Solntsedar”. Okay, okay! There is no more grandmother.

Slogan couplets:

Tell me, uncle, it’s not for nothing that the Fathers poisoned themselves with “Solntsedar”? Don't waste your time - Hangover with Solntsar! -Have you heard that the capitalists bought the entire Solntsedar from the USSR? - And for what? - The Americans poison blacks, the British paint fences, the French use it as a contraceptive, the Germans poison cockroaches.

And finally, “Solntsedar” was immortalized in poetry and prose: Venedikt Erofeev mentions him in his poem “Moscow-Petushki” (where does he mention it?), and Timur Kibirov sang him in the poem “Solntsedar” (1994).

Shmurdyak, mumbling, ink, insecticide and more in the top cheap alcohol of the USSR April 4th, 2018

Hello dears.
There is such a prejudice that we only had an abundance of alcoholic drinks in the early 90s. This is not true at all. Yes, we were separated from most countries of the world by the “iron curtain” and that the same “cinzano” should be drunk, not nibbled, we learned from the cartoon about Captain Vrungel. But there was a wide variety of local and quality drinks. It was possible to buy with pleasure (and quite affordable for the money) fine vintage wines from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, cognacs from Armenia and so on.


And at the same time, taste foreign things - from the same Bulgaria and Hungary. For the time being, of course. Until one well-known figure came up with and introduced prohibition, and did it as “successfully” as all his other endeavors...

But what’s interesting is that, given the relative abundance and accessibility of the same wine, the Soviet population gladly drank some kind of shmurdyak. Moreover, it is difficult to attribute this to a complete lack of money - the student’s scholarship allowed him to feel quite at ease (even without part-time construction jobs), apparently it was something out of love for art. Although, maybe it’s just “the economy should be economical!”, who knows :-))
Today I decided to compile the top 10 cheap chatterboxes that are in particular demand and love among the people.

The taste wasn’t there and couldn’t be there - but the price seemed to suit me :-)) It (the price) changed, but these are the ones I remember now :-)
And I want to warn you right away - the top will not include the legendary “three axes” ( Port 777)

and "Agdamych" ( Agdam).

Because, in principle, they were originally of high quality and....expensive. People took it less willingly. Expensive despite good taste
Go ahead!
10 is wine "The Scent of Gardens" it’s also “The Aroma of Butts” and the price is 1 rub. 80 kop.

9. wine "Autumn Garden", it is also “Fruit-profitable” at a price of 1 rub. 70 kopecks

8. Dessert drink "Volga Dawns", strength 12% vol., sugar-24%, price - 1 rub. 15 kopecks.


7. wine " Yuzhnoe"-1 ruble 18 kopecks


6. Fruit wine- aka “Tears of Michurin” - 1 rub. 30 kopecks.

5. "Apricot aromaT"at 1.32 rubles.


4. "Port pink" - 1 rub. 27 kopecks.


3. “Zosya” - aka "Gold autumn" at a price of 1 rub. 15 kopecks.

2. A terrible thing called “Solntsedar” - 20% strength and 1 rub. 25 kopecks. for 0.5

1. “Biomycin”, also known as “ Bіle mіtsne"("White strong") priced from 1 ruble 02 kopecks to 1 ruble 70 kopecks.

What similar drinks do you remember?
Have a nice time of day

The modern Russian language is a topic that worries many. It changes very quickly, so it requires understanding not only by specialists. Back in the twenties of the last century, slang words became popular, after some time slang began to be used in everyday life, and this is still happening. “Gift”, “money”, “face”, “shmurdyak” - not everyone knows what it is. But many people use such words every day. Today we will talk about such a concept as “shmurdyak”, we will try to figure out what it is and how it arose.

Meaning

“Shmurdyak” or “mumble” is a low-quality drink, cheap alcohol, in particular grape or fortified wine made from berries and fruits, which is prepared from low-quality wine material, water, alcohol, sugar and dyes. Its main purpose is to use it to achieve exclusively alcoholic intoxication. The taste of the drink does not play any role here; it can accommodate various ingredients. "Shmurdyak" can be cheap port, vermouth or fruit wine. The name "shmurdyak" is slang; there are no alcoholic drinks under this brand name.

Values ​​in different sources

Since low-quality ingredients are used to prepare “mumbler” (shmurdyak), the drink often turns out to be poisonous and can lead to poisoning if consumed. In some cases, deaths have been observed when taking such questionable alcoholic beverages. Young people often use the slang word “shmurdyak”; what it is can be found in several sources:

1. Cheap wines that were popular in the USSR. They were prepared by mixing alcohol and inexpensive juices.
2. Cahors, which was prepared from low-quality wine material, sugar and alcohol.
3. Inexpensive ports.
4. Fruit and berry wine prepared at home for the purpose of sale and not for personal consumption.

USSR times

Shmurdyak became widespread during the Soviet era throughout the Union. Popularly, such alcoholic drinks of dubious origin were called “ink”, “mumbler”, “shmurla” and others. At that time, cheap wine materials were supplied from Algeria. It was brought to the Union by tankers, and already on the territory of the USSR, low-quality fortified wines were produced on its basis. Over time, when the government began an anti-alcohol campaign, it was decided to stop the production of shmurdyak.

Russian Federation

After the USSR collapsed, cheap alcohol appeared in Russian stores, which contained low-quality imported spirits. Over time, dubious medicinal tinctures with a strength of up to ninety degrees appear in pharmacies. But the shmurdyak (we already know what it is) never gained popularity in the Russian Federation, as it did during the Soviet era. Young people today prefer beer and low-alcohol drinks. Now the production of shmurdyak continues. It is carried out mostly in the North Caucasus and Krasnodar Territory. These drinks have a strength of up to nineteen degrees and are placed in seven hundred gram bottles.

Belarus

Bormotukha in Belarus was produced in very large quantities, and in such quantities it was consumed. There were about two hundred different inexpensive wines. In this country, the surrogate alcoholic drink was called “charlik”, “byrlo”, “bodrilo” or “kompot”. In local slang, a seven-hundred-gram bottle of shmurdyak was called “adult”, and a half-liter bottle was called “children’s.” Today in Belarus, chatter is used as much as before. But over the past few years, the production of surrogate wines has decreased by twenty percent. Since 2013, it was planned to ban the sale of shmurdyak, but these plans were never implemented.

Other countries

In Lithuania, cheap wines were called “ink” or “boob”. Today, inexpensive alcoholic drinks in this country are as popular as ever. In France, "mumble" is made from waste and waste from winemaking. The bottles are always written “vin de table”, which means “table wine”. In the United States, cheap wines became popular after the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was repealed. They were drunk mainly to get drunk. So, “shmurdyak” (we know what it is) here received the slang name bum wine (wine for tramps). Today, several brands of such drinks are also produced.

Stamps

During Soviet times, cheap, low-quality wines were sold in glass bottles. The labels read “Wine”, “Vermouth”, “Cahors”, “Fruits and berries” and so on. Some popular drinks like shmurdyak had their own names:

• wine "Anapa" was called "Anna Pavlovna" in slang;
• the wine "Golden Autumn" was popularly called "Zoya Osipovna";
• Port 777 was simply called "Three Pokers" or "Point";
• vermouth was called "Vera Mikhailovna" in the jargon.

In addition, there were other alcoholic drinks, which were popularly called slang names.

Thus, shmurdyak is a low-quality alcoholic drink made from winemaking waste, which was extremely popular during Soviet times. Today, young people prefer to drink beer and low-alcohol drinks. But this slang word has not gone out of use and is used by many young people. Mumbling, ink, surrogate, shmurdyak - all this refers to wines of dubious origin. Quite often, drinks were made at home in order to sell them, but not for personal consumption. There have been many cases of poisoning with low-quality alcohol, which were accompanied by vomiting and even death. But this did not stop people who continued to drink inexpensive alcoholic drinks.

Was there a culture of wine consumption in the USSR? There are different opinions on this matter. Wine specialists say that yes, there was, historians say the opposite. The fact remains: they drank wine in the Soviet Union. Cheap fortified ones were designed for the unpretentious mass taste, while the vintage ones were preferred by the Soviet intelligentsia.

An ordinary fortified wine with a proud Portuguese name "Port wine" can be considered the king of Soviet wines. Not in terms of quality, but in terms of production and consumption volumes - in the USSR they produced and drank many times more of it than dry vintage wines and champagne combined.

Ordinary workers bought cheap port wines "777" , "Agdam", guilt "Solncedar", "Alminskaya Valley", "Fruit and berry" and other similar drinks that cost from a ruble to two and were popularly called “babble”, “gnilushka”, “ink”. These wines were produced by simply mixing low-quality wine material with ordinary alcohol and bottled at enterprises in eleven republics of the country.

You could see it on sale "Azerbaijani wine", "Armenian wine","Georgian wine", "Moldvinprom", "Ministry of Food Industry of the Ukrainian SSR" etc. You can treat the popular Soviet drink in any way you like, but it was made in compliance with sanitary standards, so with moderate consumption, the wine could not cause significant harm to health.

It is worth noting that in the Soviet Union not only cheap fortified wines and ports were produced, but also high-status branded drinks made according to all the rules for the wine-conscious public. As a rule, these were Crimean wines from the South Coast - "Madeira", incomparable ports "Livadia", "Massandra", "Yuzhnoberezhny", "Surozh", as well as Muscat dessert and liqueur wines, which, without exaggeration, can be called the pearls of Soviet winemaking.

In the USSR, brand drinks "Vermouth", essentially related to fortified wines, began to be produced in 1947. Initially, the quality of the product was very mediocre, since the wine materials used were far from the best. Until the mid-70s, red vermouth cost 1.02 rubles, and white vermouth 1.07 rubles. - this price was quite suitable for fans of frequent drinking, but consumers with higher demands were of little interest in this drink.

In the late 60s, better flavored wines appeared "Bouquet of Moldova", "Mountain Flower", "Morning dew", and a little later - vermouth "Extra", produced using original Italian technologies and used mainly for cocktails.

Table wines produced in the USSR

Soviet table wines, natural and high quality, were produced mainly in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the southern regions of the RSFSR. Given the opportunity to choose, the buyer preferred semi-sweet table wines - vintage or ordinary. The best semi-sweet wines were considered to be the famous Georgian "Khvanchkara"- Stalin’s favorite wine, also popular today "Kindzmarauli", "Twishi", "Alazani Valley", "Akhasheni", "Ojaleshi". Massandra semi-sweet drinks were no less in demand. "Muscat", "Aligote", "Aluston".

Dry vintage wines, as a rule, were consumed by gourmets and members of the intelligentsia. In addition to famous Georgian wines "Tsinandali", "Gurjaani", "Mukuzani" and others. Ukrainian products were also distinguished by decent quality "Oksamyt of Ukraine", Moldovan monovarietal "Feteasca", "Riesling", "Cabernet", "Pino", excellent blending "Negru de Purcari".

Although ordinary dry wines were inexpensive, they were not in great demand. People called them “sour” or “cracker” and drank them when there was no choice in the store or when there was a lack of funds for something stronger. It is noteworthy that some wineries in the southern regions of the country worked closely with local state farms and, along with wines, bottled natural juices into glass containers. Among such enterprises, it is worth noting the largest in the USSR and the second in Europe, the Sennovsky wine and juice plant, located in the Krasnodar Territory. He produced grape juices from different grape varieties - cabernet, riesling, traminer, rkatsiteli.

Imported wines in the USSR

Of the foreign wines on the shelves of Soviet stores, mainly products from socialist countries were presented. There was no mass demand for imported wines: they were quite expensive and were drunk on occasion.

Many people remember Bulgarian wines well "Bear's Blood", "Gold autumn", "Tamyanka", "Monastery Hut", Hungarian vermouths and wines "Tokay", "Bull's Blood", "Tsirfandli", Romanian wines "Cabinet", "Old lock", "Kotnari".

Less often, Soviet liquor stores received wines produced by capital countries - Spanish, Portuguese, but usually they did not reach retail, as they were still sold out at the bases. They could be purchased through friends, as they said then “through connections,” with an overpayment.

The same champagne

At the end of a short excursion into the wine past, let’s remember “Soviet Champagne”, an iconic brand of the USSR era, a symbol of happiness and joy, a must-have drink for any festive table. Along with the TV show "Blue Light", Olivier salad, "dry" sausage and tangerines, champagne was one of the obligatory New Year's paraphernalia. Everyone without exception drank it to the sound of crystal glasses and the chiming of the Kremlin chimes, so on New Year's Eve it was difficult to “get” champagne.

Despite the accelerated production technology, different from the original, and the disdainful attitude of experts and specialists, our people have always loved “Soviet champagne”. It was produced in the categories brut, dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet at different factories. Moreover, the taste of wine of the same type was individual for each manufacturer - it depended on the wine materials used and technological subtleties.

5 interesting facts about wines and winemaking in the USSR

• In 1952, in Soviet Moldova, in the village of Cricova, a unique underground wine storage facility was created, which is still in operation. It is located at a depth of 50-80 m in former shell rock mines. This storage facility is a real underground city with streets with a total length of 113 km, named after wine brands, and even with traffic lights. It contains a private collection of G. Goering wines, captured in 1945 in Berlin, worth 15 thousand pounds sterling per bottle. There is also V. Putin’s own cave in the storage room with a rich collection of wines.

• Joseph Stalin's favorite wines were Georgian wines "Khvanchkara", "Majari" and "Kindzmarauli". The production of grape wines in the Georgian SSR was carried out by the Samtrest enterprises, which united exemplary state farms: Mukuzani, Napareuli, Kvareli, Tsinandali in Kakheti and Vartsikhe in western Georgia. The champagne wine factory produced Soviet champagne and grape wines. In the GSSR, by the 1960s, 26 brands of wine were produced: 12 of them were dry table wines, 7 semi-sweet, 5 strong, 2 sweet dessert.

• In 1937, the construction of the first factories began in the USSR for the production of champagne not in traditional bottles, but in hermetically sealed tanks. The method was called “reservoir”, and for its development prof. Frolov-Bagreev received the USSR State Prize in 1942.

• After the war G.G. Agabalyantsev proposed a method of champagneization in a continuous flow, for which the scientist was awarded the Lenin Prize. This technology made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of champagne. It is curious that the license to produce sparkling wine in this way was purchased by Argentina, Greece, Italy, the USA, Germany, France, Chile, Switzerland - not the last countries in the wine industry.

• A. Dorozhinsky, a well-known world authority in winemaking, after visiting the USSR, was shocked by the country’s success in wine production. In his book “Le livre du vin”, published in 1968 in Paris, among the main achievements of Soviet winemakers, he noted a unique three-week method for producing champagne; new developed grape varieties; the use of scientific achievements in the production of wine, in particular, ultrasound to accelerate the aging process of wines, electronic devices for assessing the taste of wine.

“Agdamych”, “Zaduryan”, “Bukharych”, “Kreplenych”, “Kak Dam” - all kinds of affectionate and ironic nicknames were invented to refer to this drink in the Soviet Union. And it is no coincidence: Agdam wine was one of the most popular cheap fortified wines in the USSR, and then in the post-Soviet space. For example, at the May Day demonstration, in the best years of “stagnation,” there were, of course, speeches and slogans, but still the main meaning of these holidays (especially for the stronger sex) was unity with Nature. And what kind of celebration could there be without a drink that invigorates the spirit and amuses the minds of citizens?

Nationwide love

Why not beer, vodka, cognac, but specifically fortified wine “Agdam” (see photo above) and a whole range of other similar drinks? Undoubtedly, it is better for wine historians to understand this issue. But in our opinion, a big role in the enormous popularity of “Agdam” among the population was played by its cheapness, accessibility and efficiency. Firstly, it could be bought together by collecting - literally - pocket change. Secondly, it was implemented even in the most remote corners of our homeland. And thirdly, the sufficient strength of the drink (19%!) made it possible to quickly and effectively achieve intoxication. respected him very much, and even statistical data can attest to this. In the USSR, more than 200,000,000 deciliters of cheap fortified wines were produced every year, and the share of other varieties (dry, vintage, champagne) accounted for 150 million. The simplest option for consumption was called “for three”: they took Agdam wine by chipping in money and they drank somewhere in a gateway or in any sparsely populated courtyard around the corner.

A little history

Here is the main question: “In what “bright” head did the idea of ​​making wine in the Asian republics of the Union mature?” But religion strictly prohibits Muslims from consuming any kind of alcohol. A logical conclusion: in Azerbaijan (as well as among the Uzbeks and Turkmens) there were initially no traditions of distilling. No, of course, viticulture was developed, but nothing was produced there except raisins and grape bunches themselves. Everything changed after the October Revolution. New bosses with Mausers replaced the previous leaders who revered religion. The liberated residents of the East could now drink alcohol freely, since it was proven to them that there is no God, and Allah now does not prohibit anything. This is how they began to distill grape must into wine and alcohol in Azerbaijan.

Cognac factory

And in the city of Agdam, AzSSR, a cognac production plant was built in pre-war times. We can say that it is from this moment that the history of the most famous and popular “babbler” in the USSR begins. Of course, winemaking should always be based on traditions gained through generations. But the newly-minted winemakers could not boast of them.

Wine "Agdam" (Azerbaijan)

In a difficult situation, they found an ingenious way: to produce alcoholic beverages strictly according to the written instructions. All operations were initially carried out almost according to a stopwatch, according to technology approved from above, at the most “party” level. Raw materials? They didn’t really fool themselves with this. The plant used all the grapes that were currently available in the area. And the alcohol added for fastening had a different origin. Result: the bouquet and aftertaste always had traditional fusel shades. After consumption, a slight viscosity remained in the oral cavity, reminiscent of a sore throat.

As you can see in the photo, “Agdam” wine (red table wine and white), like other drinks in this category, was bottled in “fire extinguishers” with a volume of 0.7 liters. And almost with one sip it stifled the intellectual potential of any potential consumer. People said: it’s good for the brain! The country simply adored Agdam wine. 19% ABV is no joke. And the price is reasonable: 2.02 (two rubles, two kopecks - real magic of numbers).

For effective high-speed intoxication - just right. An example can be seen in the photo above.

"Agdam" - red wine. Or white?

The simple label explained to the drinker that we were dealing with white (or red) port wine! “Agdam” wine, of course, by generally accepted standards was not such (that rare case when a national drink acquires a personal name, despite what it was made from). As already mentioned, any grapes were used (and therefore the drink itself acquired a pinkish tint), and mainly grain alcohol was used for fortification. So, in the traditional sense of the term, it cannot be called port wine. The Azerbaijani brand was the golden mean for many: not very nasty in taste and very affordable in price (2.02). And if you later returned the empty bottle, then it’s 1.85!

Anyone who drank Agdam today will be nice to the girls...

Yes, don’t laugh, many young men of the Union had their first kiss with this drink on their lips. Entire poems were written about wine, even worse than Khayama’s poems. And there were many jokes about this wine in the country. For example, that the only drug allowed in the Union was Agdam. You can buy it at any grocery store. But the government specially added flavorings to it, they made it unbearable to take more than 3, maximum 5, “lights” on the chest. Therefore, there was no overdose at all in the USSR.

Alas and ah, this peculiar “shmurdyak” has sunk into history. It was stopped being produced with the beginning of the conflicts in Karabakh. And the well-known cognac factory was destroyed during firefights in the 90s of the last century. “Agdam”, which can now be found in stores, is not the same! And it resembles, say, a fake matryoshka doll made in China: everything seems to be in place, but something is missing.