Magarach Institute

History and Milestone Development

The history of the Magarach Institute traces back to the imperial decree of Tsar Nicholas I dated September 14, 1828, initiated by Count M.S. Vorontsov, the Governor-General of the Novorossiya Krai, which established a specialized state winemaking facility within the Imperial Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the Magarach tract. The historical milestone of the collection's establishment dates back to the spring of 1814, when Director N.A. Hartwiss planted the initial 30 French grapevine varieties. By 1826, the first scientific living collection comprised 300 MCF cultivars sourced from Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus. In the spring of 1829, more than 4,000 vines of premium European cultivars (including Pinot Franc, Petit Verdot, Gros Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot) obtained from Count Vorontsov’s private estates were successfully planted across six desiatinas of the Magarach tract.

The first model winery was erected on the site in 1836, followed by the construction of the legendary Magarach Wine Cellar in 1851 for long-term aging. These facilities marked the birth of commercial winemaking on the South Coast of Crimea. The research infrastructure underwent successive administrative changes: the Crimean Zonal Experimental Station was organized in 1930, upgraded to the All-Union Experimental Station in 1937, and finally reorganized into the All-Union Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking "Magarach" in 1940. Today, the institute operates as a premier, world-class national scientific center under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Global Significance of the Ampelographic Collection

The World Ampelographic Collection of the Magarach Institute is officially registered with the FAO (UN) and stands as one of the oldest grapevine repositories in Europe. In the late 1960s, due to phylloxera risks, the primary self-rooted repository containing 900 cultivars was transferred from the South Coast of Crimea to the Western Foothill-Maritime region in the village of Vilino, Bakhchisaray District. The modern grafted collection repository was established during 1978–1988 utilizing the phylloxera-resistant Kober 5BB rootstock across an area of 16 hectares, where vines are cultivated without winter burial based on eco-geographical classification principles.

Currently, the repository preserves a total of 4,120 grapevine accessions, ranking it among the largest global germplasm collections alongside France, the USA, and India. The collection consists of:

• The Base Collection (3,357 accessions), comprising indigenous varieties, introduced cultivars from 29 foreign and 12 post-Soviet states, and 106 unique relic genotypes of wild forest grapevines native to Crimea (Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris Gmel.) discovered during field surveys in 2005–2007.
• The Special Breeding Collection (763 accessions), composed entirely of original cultivars and hybrid selections developed in-house by the institute’s breeders.

The Magarach collection historically served as the genetic foundation ("parent collection") for establishing numerous national germplasm repositories across the former USSR republics. Notably, the Anapa Ampelographic Collection at SKZNIISiV was nearly 40% sourced from Magarach’s material.

Contributions to Breeding, Plant Biology, and Enology

The scientific school of Magarach pioneered classical analytical methods in microbiology, biochemistry, and wine technology. The institute’s wine library preserves priceless historical vintages, notably the legendary "Muscat Rozovyi Magarach" vintage 1848, officially registered in the Guinness World Records as the oldest documented wine produced in Russia. Furthermore, the institute maintains a unique, specialized collection of pure wine yeast cultures.

In scion breeding, Magarach achieved a major breakthrough in developing interspecific hybrids with multi-level polygenic resistance. Breeding programs correspond to three primary eco-geographical centers of grapevine domestication established by Prof. A.M. Negrul: convar. occidentalis (Western European), convar. pontica (Black Sea Basin), and convar. orientalis (Eastern). Over the decades, outstanding Yalta scientists including P.Y. Golodriga, P.M. Gramotenko, and P.V. Korobets made invaluable contributions to clonal and interspecific selection within the institute. Professor L.P. Troshin made significant contributions to the subsequent joint integration, study, and systematization of these gene pools representing the Kuban State Agrarian University (Krasnodar).

The following original varieties bred by the institute have earned extensive recognition:

• Table Grape Varieties: Ranny Magaracha, Tavrida, Yubileiny Magaracha, Gerkules, Novoukrainsky Ranny, Livia, Muscat Golodrigi.
• Wine Grape Varieties (Technical): Bastardo Magarachsky, Rubinovy Magaracha, Podarok Magaracha, Pervenets Magaracha, Antey Magarachsky, Tsitronny Magaracha, Academician Avidzba, Spartanets Magarachsky, Granatovy Magaracha, Krymchanin, Pamyati Golodrigi.

Fundamental research on vine adaptive potential—including extensive analysis of the extreme winter freeze events of 2006—enabled the institute to isolate reliable genetic donors of winter-hardiness among wild Vitis species and ancient indigenous varieties. The collaborative monumental work compiled by Magarach scientists along with researchers from five nations—the international compendium "Caucasus and Northern Black Sea Region Ampelography" (2012)—won the prestigious First Prize from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in 2013.