Bonded sweet – Newspaper Kommersant No. 204 (7405) dated 11/02/2022

The withdrawal from the market of counterfeits of port wines and the expansion of distribution of Crimean enterprises contributed to the growth of production and sales of Russian fortified wines. In January-September, more than 5.6 million liters of such drinks were produced in the Russian Federation, including about 2 million liters of port wine, which is more than in the whole of 2021. Winemakers are counting on further growth in sales, including through a reduction in port wine imports, but the increase in the production of fortified wines takes a long time.

Since the beginning of the year, the production and sales of fortified wines have grown sharply in Russia, and port wines have become the driver of the category. This is stated in a study by Roskachestvo, which publishes the Wine Guide of Russia. According to experts, in January-September, 5.61 million liters of fortified wines were produced, including almost 2 million liters of port wine. This is comparable to the production of all fortified wines in 2021 (1.9 million liters).

Also, since the beginning of 2022, Russian winemakers have produced about 1.95 million liters of Cahors and more than 1.2 million liters of sherry and Madeira. Retail sales of all fortified wines in January-September more than doubled year-on-year, to 5.13 million liters.

The head of the Wine Guide of Russia, Olesya Bunyaeva, attributes the growth in sales of fortified wines to the entry into force of the law on viticulture and winemaking in the summer of 2020. Previously, “port wine” could be called “anything”, including semi-sweet drinks from fruit raw materials, and now fortified wines should be produced only from grapes according to the approved technology, she points out.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center, also explains the dynamics by “cleansing the market”, which, as a result, allowed producers such as the Crimean “Massandra” to expand distribution. According to the “Wine Guide of Russia”, the range of local ports in large networks doubled over the year, to more than 40 positions.

Valery Troychuk, First Deputy General Director of Massandra, says that the company has recently begun deliveries to the Krasnoe & Beloe chain, but this has not yet led to a significant increase in shipments. According to him, in recent years, “Massandra” produces more than 19.5 million bottles per year, of which about 55% are fortified wines, and fluctuations in demand can occur within the category. For example, in 2021, Massandra released more vintage ports that are aged in barrels for at least two years.

Development Director of Ladoga Dmitry Isachenkov notes that not so long ago, the use of sweet wines was considered bad manners, but now it is a whole trend. For nine months of this year, the company increased sales of Russian fortified wines by 2.3 times.

According to Alexander Stavtsev, the relatively low price of Russian fortified wines also contributes to the increase in demand. Aged and vintage local ports cost about 500-600 rubles. per bottle in retail, confirms Olesya Bunyaeva. In addition, adds Mr. Stavtsev, imports of Portuguese port wine to Russia are declining, which may encourage some consumers to try the Russian product, although the base composition of fans of local and foreign drinks differs.

The executive director of the Fort wine trading company, Alexander Lipilin, indicates that the import of port wines in the market as a whole has decreased due to the refusal of some producers to work with Russia, financial sanctions and logistical problems. But foreign fortified wines cost from 1.3 thousand rubles. per bottle and are not in contact with the Russian ones in the target segment, the growth of which is apparently associated with the low base effect, he adds. Luding Group Marketing Director Andrey Ushakov agrees that the category of fortified wines in the Russian Federation is formed primarily by drinks in an affordable price segment, which are not affected by imports.

Although the general director of Fanagoria Petr Romanishin notes that every third restaurant is interested in Russian liqueur wines today, import analogues of which have become unavailable. The company plans to expand its range in the category in 2023 with the current record grape harvest, he says. But, adds Mr. Romanishin, aged liqueur wines cannot be released quickly. In addition to the aging period, Valery Troychuk notes, it is necessary to renew the barrels and expand the plantings of vineyards.

Anatoly Kostyrev