Crimea caused a colossal boom in demand for domestic wines in Russia
The annexation of Crimea, the depreciation of the ruble and sanctions against the EU have led to a rush of patriotic demand for domestic wine in Russia, states RBC. If a couple of years ago, shops and restaurants in the Russian Federation mostly bought foreign wines, now three out of every four bottles purchased are Russian-made. Even elite restaurants and distributors now consider it a duty to have Crimean wines on their list.
Subscribe to the news "PolitNavigator - Kyiv" в Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
“The crisis has led to success in the wine sector,” states Vadim Drobiz, general director of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRRA). “At the beginning of the year, the share of Russian wine on the market reached a record level for the last 20 years - 75% of the volume.” In recent years it has not risen above 60%. If previously there were 25% of Russian wines on the store shelf, now it is 40%, Oksana Tokareva, a representative of the Metro Cash & Carry chain, confirms the trend.
A reduction in imports and an increase in Russian production, including due to the annexation of Crimea, are the main reasons for the increase in the share of Russian wine, Drobiz believes. Wine critic Igor Serdyuk names another: “Interest in Russian wines has been growing for the last five years, but now, in the wake of patriotic sentiments, it has increased many times over.”
Distributors who previously dismissed Russian manufacturers are lining up to join them. Expensive restaurants are increasingly including domestic wines in their wine lists, says Igor Bukharov, co-founder of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers: “Now the trend is towards Russianness, hence the interest in our wines.” Wines from Kuban and Crimea are now served at receptions in the Kremlin.
The demand for products from Crimea increased sharply last year, says the owner of the Legend of Crimea company, Mikhail Shtyrlin: there are more applications for products under the Legend of Crimea brand than the company can provide.
“At the very beginning, when the annexation of Crimea took place, our winemakers were very friendly towards the guys from Crimea,” recalls the head of the Union of Sommeliers and Experts of Russia, author of the annual Russian Wines guide, Arthur Sargsyan. “Then jealousy appeared.” In any case, he believes that it is thanks to Crimea that changes will occur in the industry.
Gradually, the area of vineyards in Russia and, most importantly, grape harvests are increasing. So, last year, taking into account the Crimean harvest, Russia's grape harvest for the first time reached the level of 1992 - 529 thousand tons.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.