Overview of Top Stories in the Russian Wine World. Every week we identify for you the top stories in Russia about wine, spirits, restaurants, beer, cider, etc. We provide an English-language summary of each of them, as well as a link if you want to learn more. Written by Evgeniy Kotelevsky, edited by Thomas Anthony.
- Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) presented a new study of alcohol consumption by Russians
- First MBA winemakers graduate in Russia
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Retail sales in Russia of all wine products decreased by 7.1%
- The Ministry of Industry and Trade opposes later sales of sparkling wine on New Year's Eve
- State support for planting vineyards in Crimea will increase by 77% in 2022
- Wine and spirits production in the Krasnodar region increased by 20% in 2021
Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) presented a new study of alcohol consumption by Russians
Among 1,600 respondents aged over 18, 31% stated that they do not drink alcoholic beverages, and 69% said that they drink them at least once in a while. 59% of respondents – of all age groups – counted vodka among the most popular types of alcohol in Russia. 48% consider beer to be one of the most popular alcoholic beverages, 21% – still and sparkling wines, 19% – moonshine, and 15% – cognac.
In July of this year, another VTsIOM poll showed that 38% of Russians do not drink alcohol. These are most often people aged over 60, 51% of whom are teetotalers. According to sociologists, 25% of respondents drink alcohol less than once a month, 14% – once a month, 18% – two or three times a month. Read the original study in Russian.
Фото: © Californian Wine Institute
First MBA winemakers graduate in Russia
The Ministry of Agriculture created this Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at the Financial University of the Government of the Russian Federation. The MBA program with a specialization in Viticulture and Winemaking lasted for 20 months. A new class of students is already preparing to begin a program consisting of six modules. Leading Russian and international experts are among the lecturers. You can familiarize yourself with the program in Russian by the link.
Retail sales in Russia of all wine products decreased by 7.1%
Retail sales in Russia of all wine products decreased by 7.1% from January to November 2021 compared to the previous year, according to Rosstat and CIFRRA (Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets). This overall decrease is mainly due to a decline of 44.6% in the ambiguous category of “wine/grape beverages.” In fact, sales of wine itself lagged behind the results of January-November 2021 by only 0.9%. Sales of sparkling wine increased by 8.5%, wines with Protected Geographical Indication (“ZGU” in Russian) and Protected Appellation of Origin (“ZNMP” in Russian) grew by 2.5%, and fortified wines increased by 14.2%. Increases in the sales of spirits are also worth noting – sales of whiskey rose by 17.2%, and Calvados by 55.2%. Read the original news in Russian.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade opposes later sales of sparkling wine on New Year's Eve
"Why change the rules? If there are already well-established rules that you cannot sell [alcohol after a certain hour], then buy it in advance." This was the response of the Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, to a letter from Vladimir Petrov, First Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Leningrad Region, who suggested allowing the sale of sparkling wines from 22:00-23:00 on New Year's Eve. Petrov’s letter had pointed out that this change in sales times would be useful for people who work until late on the eve of the holiday. Read the original news in Russian.
Фото: © Filipp Romanovski/Unsplash
State support for planting vineyards in Crimea will increase by 77% in 2022
As reported on the website of the Crimean government, subsidies for planting vineyards in Crimea will increase to 681 million rubles in 2022, compared to 385 million allocated in 2021. A total of 850 hectares of vineyards are to be planted in Crimea in 2022, a dramatic increase over the 350 hectares planted in 2021. In total, there were 4006 hectares of vineyards planted in Crimea from 2014 to 2020. Read the original news in Russian.
Wine and spirits production in the Krasnodar region increased by 20% in 2021
This announcement was made on RBC TV by Roman Kurinny, the head of the regional department for the consumer sphere and alcohol market regulation. According to the department, the growth in sales and consumption during the first 10 months of 2021 (compared to the same period last year) was 9% for wine and 4% for spirits. In the recently released “Top-100 Russian Wines” rating from Forbes, wines from the Krasnodar region took 63 of the 100 places. Read the original news in Russian.
Cover photo: © Simple Group.