Wine While You Shop

"Tapping" Into The Market


I did not know what I would be able to find in the Former Soviet Union when I first came here (to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) in 1998. There were a lot of things I missed from the West - such as coffee beans, The Second Cup, sushi, and did I already mention coffee? Coffee was also probably the biggest thing I missed. I figured out how to cope with these missing items between 1998 -2002 - it meant buying 10 pounds of coffee for my backpack before leaving Canada and leaving clothese behind. Sushi making supplies could also be packed into my carry on, especially wasabi powder (which is green so it won't cause problems in customs). But over the years, sushi has become available in new stores sprining up and coffee is now widely available. One of the things I did not miss about Canada, however, was the wine. I was a student almost until the time I came and wine is expensive in Canada, the selection not that great (although it is getting better). I was really happy to find this year in Odessa not only microroasters for coffee beans and a wide variety of cafes, but while walking through the market, I was able to grab a plastic glass of Cabernet. This is the kind of Post Soviet Market Reform I can live with. As you can see in the picture, the wine is available on several taps. The taps are in a T-shape for the name of the vineyard, Tayirovsky, and there are several different kinds of wine you can sample and buy. They provide plastic sterile bottles, or you can bring your own. I suppose you could bring your own fancy labels to stick on the bottles if this matters. The wine is a drinkable table wine, comes in white, rose, and red, ranging from sweet to dry. It costs approximately 7 grivnyas per litre, which is about 1.20 USD. Of course, I am waiting for society to fall apart and go into absolute reckless chaos since wine, with alcohol, is widely available in public places and there are no commissions or committees around to restore law and order. I suspect that all the consumers in this shop behaved well while they had their plastic cups of wine only since I had my camera with me.