April 07, 2006

Wine Embargo


Wine Embargo

Russian Wine Blockade

Russia may face another politically-induced deficit. This time it is wines.

Reds and whites from Georgia and Moldova became non grata in Russia, after consumer rights watchdog Gennady Onishchenko called for a suspension of wine imports from the two countries on health and sanitation grounds. Georgian and Moldovan wines were found to contain high levels of pesticides and heavy metals, Onishchenko said. Both countries stood up to defend the quality of their wines, saying it was political, not ecological concerns that were at issue.

Russia's ban on wine was soon followed by bans on champagne and cognac.

Although never truly a wine-drinking country, Russia is a principal export market for both Georgian and Moldovan wines.

Before the ban, Moldova sold up to 95 percent of its wine and cognac to Russia, while the European Union bought just 2.5 percent of all Moldovan spirits, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Wine comprised 60 percent of all Moldovan exports to Russia, Bloomberg reported.

Georgian wines presently have a 12 percent market share in Russia. Over half of Georgia's wine exports go to Russia, accounting for annual sales between $100 and $200 million, according to Georgian Deputy Agriculture Minister Mirian Dekanoidze.

Fake and low-quality wine has long been a problem for Russia. According to some estimates, as much as 80 percent of some brands are faked. Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that, aside from the embargoed Georgian and Moldovan wines, over half of recently sampled wines from Russia, Spain, Ukraine, Germany, France, Argentine and Portugal do not meet Russian health standards. Part of the problem is Russians' low income, combined with high consumption, which makes them opt for cheaper wines in bigger bottles. And wine-makers are just following the demand.

However, Georgia and Moldova say Russia is using the wine embargo as a stick to punish them for their souring relationship with Moscow, for moving closer to the European Union and the United States, as the Associated Press reported. Moldova may challenge Moscow's decision in court, ITAR TASS said, and Georgia announced it may follow suit.

The wine ban, which has already bared some Russian wine shelves and may raise the price of cheaper wines by at least 20 percent, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda, comes right after a salt frenzy in Russia, induced by the Russia-Ukraine row over natural gas early this year. Russians swept salt off the store shelves in fears that Ukraine would stop exporting salt to Russia in revenge for the gas crisis.

RL on Russian drinks:

While wine accounts for less than 10 percent of Russian alcohol consumption, vodka remains far more important. Read Russian Life advice for buying real vodka safely, and the right appetizers to go with it. Even more prominent among Russian drinks is tea, somewhat unexpectedly, while such drinks as medovukha and sbiten are making a bit of a comeback.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955