Belarus Starts Delivering Double Wines to Russia

Several Russian importers have received the right to import wines from Belarus produced by the Minsk Grape Wine Factory (MZVV). This was reported by the Kommersant newspaper, citing data from the Rosaccreditation registry.

Thus, the distributor Vintrend Retail Group (VRG) will be able to import still wines Gruner Veltliner and Riesling, as well as sparkling wine Glera Spumante Extra Dry, produced by MZVV, to Russia. In turn, the importer Alco Trade Logistic received permission to import Airen Tres Amigos wine produced by the same plant.

As Kommersant notes, the names of these wines coincide with the names of products from European manufacturers. In particular, Glera Spumante Extra Dry from the Italian winery Villa degli Olmi or Tres Amigos from the Spanish Garcia Carrion and DCOOP.

The Belarusian producer is probably deliberately copying the names of European wines, counting on the inattention of consumers, Pavel Shapkin, head of the Center for the Development of National Alcohol Policy, told the publication. At the same time, he expressed doubt that real European drinks are being re-exported to Russia under the guise of MZVV products, since re-exporting wine to Russia through third countries, according to Shapkin, is unprofitable.

In turn, the owner of the Kaufman brand agency, Stanislav Kaufman, suggested that the Minsk plant could act as a logistical bridge between the actual manufacturer and the distributor.

At the end of May 2024, representatives of Russian retailers reported a decrease in the supply of budget European wines in Russian stores. In particular, sales of wine produced in France and Italy have significantly decreased. Market participants then noted that the decline in sales was occurring against the backdrop of a significant increase in import duties on alcoholic beverages from "unfriendly" countries. In the summer of 2023, they increased from 12% to 20%.

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