Framed by the valley, the remaining mountains of Parsuk-Kaya and Eltigen attract attention. The Eltigen Ridge, in its northern part, ends with a small rock called Delikly-Kaya (Leaky Rock), at the foot of which a tunnel was built in the rock by Kryvyi Rih mine builders. It is equipped with modern cellars. Matvienko for aging wine. Behind Mount Eltigen one can see the strongly indented peak of Echki-Dag.
Sunny Valley is closed on three sides by mountains and gently descends from the Feodosia highway to the sea itself. The village of Solnechnaya Dolina is located 2.5 km from the seashore from the west, covered by an array of 2 almost treeless clay mountains - Karaul-Korzh and Meganom. The name is not accidental - this is really one of the sunniest places in the Crimea. The sun shines here about 300 days a year. The old name of the Sun Valley is Kok-Kez (Blue Eye). Perhaps the reason for the name was given by holes - the eye sockets of the surrounding rocks, through which the bright blue of the sky shines through. There is always a blue sky over Sun Valley. And even when it rains in the surrounding settlements, the sky is covered with clouds, over the Sun Valley there is at least a patch of blue sky, a blue eye. Perhaps the name Kozy (as the village used to be called) appeared due to the mountain Echki Dag (Goat Mountain), where wild goats really abounded. It is difficult to find an exact explanation, because words and parts of words from the languages ​​​​and dialects of the peoples who inhabited these places at different times were mixed in the local names. The modern name Sunny Valley is also justified because there is very little precipitation here and less than 300 mm per year (the semi-desert norm).
In this sunny arid valley, with its landscapes reminiscent of Cimmeria, people have been growing unique grape varieties from time immemorial, from which magnificent dessert wines are made. In his work "Prospects", the famous Crimean winemaker A.A. Egorov constantly drew the attention of specialists to the grape varieties left by "ancient Hellenes and Genoese", which found shelter here in the Kozskaya Valley. At the beginning of the 20th century, the most valuable plantations, scattered and run wild, began to be studied by A.A. Ivanov (winemaker, champagne maker Golitsyna). The triumph of Ivanov's many years of searching was his description of 80 local native grape varieties on the eastern coast of Crimea. Many years later, A.A. Ivanov's plan was realized - unique plantations were revived and propagated, which now serve as raw materials for such wines as Black Doctor and Solnechnaya Dolina.
After the war, winegrowers were engaged in the restoration and classification of several dozen varieties such as Ekim-Kara (Black Doctor), Kapitan-Kara, Dzhevat-Kara, Mordvin-Kara, Black Kefessia, Sary Poldos (Red Athanasius), Sale Agenym Korasy (Black Uncle Sale ) and others. Unique grape varieties are found here. Most of them do not grow anywhere else. They tried to grow the Ekim-Kara variety in another area, but they did not get the necessary qualities for making Ekim-Kara wine.
How did these varieties get here? Why grow here and nowhere else? These questions can presumably be answered in the following way. The cultivation of grapes on these lands began long before our era. It has long been believed that the vine was brought to the Crimea by the Greeks in the 7th-6th centuries BC. However, thanks to archaeological research in recent years, grains of grapes were found in the Taurus stone boxes (cemeteries, graves of the people who lived in the Crimea long before the colonization of the Crimea by the Greeks in the 7th-7th centuries BC). This shows that native (local varieties) of grapes grew in the Crimea (and in particular on the territory of the present Sunny Valley) even before the arrival of the Greeks. The Greeks brought their grape varieties to the peninsula. And the current "natives" of Sun Valley are the descendants of old local varieties and imported Greek ones. Sometimes, as a result of pollination, new varieties were born among themselves. In 1969-1974, more than 35 previously unknown varieties and not described in the ampelographic literature were identified in the vineyards of the old planting. It was found that the varieties of the old are localized and confined to the microdistrict "Solnechnaya Dolina". According to their biological properties, they are more adapted to local soil and climatic conditions. Identified natives are distinguished by special tags. Then it's up to the winemakers. Bushes marked with tags are removed separately. Each variety is in its own container. And some varieties have a few bushes. They note the sugar content, and winemakers try what variety can be made from. Black Doctor and Sun Valley, a new brand of Javat-Kara wine, are produced precisely on the basis of such native varieties, which, in principle, grow nowhere else.
The winery, where these famous brands of wines are born, is located 2.5 km from the central estate on the seashore near the eastern slope of Karaul-Korzh. Well, the aging of vintage wines is located in specially equipped cellars "Arhaderesse". The vault is located on a high hill, its top offers absolutely stunning panoramas of local wild Cimmerian landscapes. These cellars were built by Prince Golitsyn, later he sold them to another prince, Gorchakov, but remained the manager. Cellars go several tens of meters deep into the earth, so at any time of the year it is equally cool here - 13-15 degrees. The wine is stored in special barrels, a special white stripe is drawn in front of the rows of barrels, but not for beauty, but for disinfection, in order to protect the wine materials from the introduction of microorganisms. Naturally, mostly women work here. The men fall asleep quickly. On each barrel you can see a special sticker, which marks all the operations that have been performed with this material, and which should be carried out in the near future. Always and at all times, Golitsyn and now, there are those who want to earn extra money on the "name" of wine. You may have seen in many kiosks of Sudaki and its environs and in all the "hot" places in abundance "Black Doctor" and "Sunny Valley". Sometimes they are even sold in bazaars on tap or in plastic bottles, they say that wine is given out instead of a salary .. As a rule, these are counterfeit wines. Firstly, salaries at local state farms are paid only in cash. Secondly, real vintage wine is produced very little and you can buy it in strictly limited places. These unique wines are made only in the "Solnechnaya Dolina", because the grapes from which they are made give the desired properties to the berry only in this area. And, finally, the technology for making these wines is extremely complex, some of them use several dozen different grape varieties, and therefore it is basically impossible to make such wines at home. Only 30 indigenous and European grape varieties are used to prepare the fine, refined dessert wine "Solnechnaya Dolina". It is based on the native variety "Sary Pandos".