Crimea

The beer in Crimea is outstanding and cheap.

Crimea is a wine-producing region. Most of the wine produced here, at the famous Massandra Palace winery and in Koktebel', is dessert wine in the style of Port or Madeira. Unwary foreigners might buy a bottle of what looks like red or white wine in a kiosk and find it undrinkably sweet. That's because it's meant to be sipped, in very small quantities, not drunk like a Merlot. If it's regular wine you're looking for, avoid anything labeled Портвейн Portwine, Мадейра Madeira, Мускат Muscat, Токай Tokay. For table wines, ask for "sukhOye vinO" dry wine or look for labels such as Совиньон Sauvignon, Каберне Cabernet, and Ркацетели Rkatseteli, or look for Georgian wines, which are delicious and plentiful.

Try the regional sparkling wine, produced at Noviy Svet Russian: Новый Свет, "New Light", near Sudak. It's labeled "Шампанское" "Shampanskoye", champagne. It's very good. Try to buy it somewhere reputable, though, because there are knock-offs. Noviy Svet is a very beautiful spot; you can tour the caverns where the wine is aged.

If you're not going anywhere else in Russia and Ukraine, try kvass Russian: квас.

It's a very refreshing non-alcoholic drink made of fermented wheat, the traditional drink of farmworkers in the bread-basket of Ukraine, prized for its restorative properties.

Try the local kefir Russian: кефир, a cultured-milk beverage. When ice-cold, it's extremely refreshing on a hot day.

If you're feeling adventuresome, you might look for "kumys" Russian: кумыс or кымыз, which is fermented mare's milk, a traditional drink of the Tatars and nomadic peoples of Central Asia.

Beware, some of the local mineral waters taste very salty. Look for a Western European brand, especially if you're going to be exercising.

Vodka is cheap and plentiful, some of the supermarkets have the best prices and the widest choices.