The “official wine of the Kremlin” is from Mount Athos, commonly referred to as the Holy Mountain, an autonomous monastic state. Its wine is called Kormilitsa, meaning nurse in Russian, and it is served by the Kremlin in high-level meetings with foreign dignitaries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is known for his devout Orthodox faith, and was the first president to visit Mt. Athos ten years ago. It was during this visit that he tasted the wine, deciding that it would forevermore be the official wine of the Kremlin.
To reciprocate the honor, the monks produce the Kormilitsa Gold Collection under strict supervision by a specialist of the Evangelos Tsatalis S. A. wine productions. Less than 5,000 bottles are produced each year, with each one being numbered and initialed by hand. Most of these head to the Kremlin, and to rare connoiseurs of special wines.
