International wine competition the Russian Wines Competition 2020 is being held with the support of the Kuban State Technological University

The Kuban State Technological University was founded on 16 June 1918 and is considered Russia’s leading university providing training for the country's wine industry. Established in the most difficult period of Russian history, the Krasnodar region’s first institution of higher education has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the economy, industry and social sphere of both the region and Russia as a whole.

Times have changed, as have university names, but KubSTU has never lost its authority. For more than a hundred years, the university has remained one of the leaders of domestic engineering education, training highly qualified personnel for high-tech industries such as fuel and energy networks, mechanical engineering, industrial and civil construction, construction material production, road networks, the food and processing industry, technosphere and information security, economics and public relations. More than 120,000 of its graduates have successfully entered and contributed to the workforce, with their professionalism confirming the high quality of training received at KubSTU.

In 1980, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the university was awarded for its excellence in preparing highly qualified specialists for the development of the national economy and Russian science.

In 2015, KubSTU received an award from the Russian Federal Government for its significant achievements in the field of product and service quality and its introduction of highly effective quality management methods.

The Kuban State Technological University is now one of the largest scientific, cultural and educational centres in the South of Russia; this includes the main university in the city of Krasnodar and its branches in Armavir and Novorossiysk. The university is a modern educational institution which meets the needs of the state, society and people. It offers a wide range of specialties and subject areas, highly qualified faculty members and modern educational technologies, and is renowned for introducing innovations and integrating them into the international educational and scientific community.

The university boasts five collective-use centres with modern equipment, the state engineering centre “High Technologies and Food Security”, the centre for mechanical engineering, a testing centre, educational and scientific laboratories and eleven student design research offices.

The role of the winemaking technology department has gained significant importance recently as the Krasnodar region is Russia’s main winegrowing region. The department has five specialised laboratories with modern equipment. These include unique facilities developed by employees which enable the determination of the physicochemical parameters of wine materials and wines supersaturated with carbon dioxide. New methods are also being developed for the production of aromatic sparkling wines.

The results of the research and innovation activities of the Kuban State Technological University have been recognised by major awards: the university was named as leader in innovation in the Krasnodar region, leader in scientific and practical activities in the Krasnodar region, leader in the training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel in the Krasnodar region and leader in Kuban science.

KubSTU was the first university in the Krasnodar region which opened the doors to Russian higher education to foreign students in 1948. There are around 500 foreign students studying at the university each year; this includes 90 at the preparatory faculty for foreign citizens.

In 2017, the Kuban State Technological University became part of the Network University of the CIS countries - a unique innovative mechanism for academic dissemination.

KubSTU boasts many facilities enabling students to engage in sports and creativity, including the “Polytechnic” sports complex and the centre for student leisure and creative work. The university has been a leader in the movement of student labour groups in the Krasnodar region for many years. There is also a centre for attracting volunteers, “Polytechnic”, which is a recognised leader in the volunteer movement in Russia.

Mikhail Baryshev, Acting Rector of Kuban State Technical University: “The last century has seen over 6,000 specialists trained for wineries within the walls of the first Kuban university. The training of such highly qualified specialists has only been achieved thanks to close cooperation with our partners, and by employing best practices and a scientific approach. Once again, we would like to express our support and gratitude to the organisers of the Russian Wines Competition for their activities, which serve to enhance the prestige of domestic winemaking.”

I would like to express my gratitude to the acting rector Mikhail Baryshev for the privilege of support from the Kuban State Technological University.

Please find more information about the university at: KubSTU

Competition sponsor: Cote Rocheuse JSC.

LEONID FADEEV, Stage 2 MW Student, WSET/IWSC “The Future 50 Awards” winner, Weinakademiker, DipWSET, WorldSom Magister Sommelier.