Crimean and Kuban winemakers are pushing foreign wines out of the Russian market

The weakening of the ruble and the rise of patriotism ensured record sales for Russian wine, RBC daily writes, noting that Russian wine set an absolute record: three out of four bottles purchased by Russians in the first quarter of 2015 were produced at Russian enterprises.

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One of the reasons that influenced this trend is the rise in price of imported wines. “Foreign wine over the past six months, according to alcohol market participants, has risen in price by an average of 40–50%,” the business publication cites statistics. – Domestic, although highly dependent on imported components – only 10–30%. For example, in the Perekrestok supermarket chain, prices for imported wine over the past six months have increased by approximately 38%, and for domestic products - by 18%. At Dixie discount stores – by 16 and 3%, respectively.”

The publication says that in recent years Russia has been one of the top five global importers of wines and wine materials in the world, but the situation is beginning to change, and already in the first quarter of 2015, the import of still wines (wines with virtually no carbon dioxide) to Russia fell by almost 2 times.

“The crisis has led to success in the wine sector. 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,” RBC daily quotes Vadim Drobiz, general director of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets, and adds that in recent years this figure has not risen above 60 %.

“If before 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.

In addition to the reduction in imports, experts note two more reasons for the growth in the share of Russian wine, one of which is a wave of patriotism.

“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,” notes wine critic Igor Serdyuk.

“Distributors who previously dismissed Russian manufacturers are lining up to join them,” the publication points to another trend. – Even the largest importers specializing in French and Italian wines, such as Simple, are looking for suitable local brands to add to their portfolio. 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. And even US Secretary of State John Kerry was invited by President Vladimir Putin to try the Russian sparkling Abrau-Durso at a meeting in Sochi.

But the article calls the most noticeable change of the last year for the Russian wine market the annexation of Crimea with the famous producers “Massandra” and “Novy Svet” and notes that by the beginning of the year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Crimea, 125 enterprises received Russian licenses for the production of wine products.

“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,” RBC Daily points out.