Tambov champagne: experts have figured out how to cope with the wine shortage in Russia

Russians increasingly prefer wine to other alcoholic beverages: in 2023, 900 million liters of wine were drunk in our country, with approximately half of the consumption coming from domestic drinks. True, there is a nuance: our country is not yet able to produce more than half – there are no resources, no capacity, no vineyards, so there is no escape from imported wine. One of the options for solving the problem is moving north: developing winemaking not only in the well-known Crimea and Krasnodar Territory, but also, for example, in the Lipetsk or Oryol regions.

In March 2024, representatives of the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia proposed introducing a 200% duty on wine imported from NATO countries (read: from the European Union). In their opinion, such a measure could support Russian winemaking, and at the same time emphasize the attitude of consumers and retailers towards the products of unfriendly countries – let us recall that earlier in some bars and restaurants in Moscow sections of wine lists appeared with just such headings.

However, experts are sounding the alarm: despite all the support measures and all the initiatives, the Russian wine market is physically unable to meet all the needs of the state. Today in our country about 900 million liters of wine are drunk per year, but domestic vineyards (all together) produce only 500 million liters. Simple arithmetic: approximately another 400 million liters need to be obtained somewhere abroad – and, with all due respect to the winemaking of the CIS countries or the New World, there are no adequate alternatives to Europe. Independent wine expert Denis Rudenko spoke about this during a thematic discussion.

“The former countries of the USSR will not be able to cope, especially since Armenian and Azerbaijani wines are quite expensive for the Russian consumer (Georgian wines are still nothing,” the expert argues. – In Chile, South Africa and Argentina, planting areas are continuously decreasing; they do not export much wine today. The truth is that there is a supply and surplus of wine only in the European Union – they actually produce so much of it that they almost distill it into technical liquids. And they are ready to sell, but we need to buy. We won’t find wine anywhere else, even if we include Morocco, Algeria and other interesting little-known countries. Well, if there is a shortage, then prices will inevitably rise – both for Russian and European wines. This is definitely not needed by anyone.

In order to at least try to close the shortage of wine with our own, domestic efforts, it is necessary to expand the geography – and take winemaking beyond the boundaries of the well-known classical wine regions: Crimea, Kuban, Stavropol, Dagestan, as well as the Rostov region (winemaking in the Don Valley has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent years ). Global warming is playing into the hands of winemakers today – this means that they can try to develop new regions. And over time, perhaps they will be able to provide the country with at least part of the 400 million liters that are needed.

– Now the focus of our attention is Samara, Saratov, Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod, Oryol, Tambov and other southern regions of Russia. The fact is that the average temperature in Voronezh, Samara or Belgorod is now equal to Bordeaux and certainly not inferior to Champagne. Except that our winters are more aggressive, and this will have to be taken into account. By the way, Samara already has an example of successful winemaking,” the specialist explained. – You just need to choose varieties wisely: you need those that are drought-resistant and that ripen early, as well as varieties that are resistant to pests, fungal diseases and frost. Some will have to be abandoned.

For example, it is impossible to make rich red wines from the Shiraz variety in the northern regions of Russia; it simply will not withstand the climatic conditions. The style of red wines will be light, similar to northern Italy, Germany, etc. Light, fruity, translucent, for example from Pinot Noir. The best results in such a climate are white, bright, fruity and acidic wines, as well as sparkling wines – since the climate is similar to Champagne, it is quite possible to make an analogue of champagne in the Voronezh or Tambov region.

According to the expert, the development of more northern latitudes can help solve the problem of the shortage of domestic wines – today there are all the prerequisites for the production there of high-quality, good wine, which will take its place on the “average” (500-600 rubles) supermarket shelves and will be in demand.

– In these regions, it is possible to obtain additional tens of thousands of hectares for vineyards and produce wines. The quality will be decent. Recently, a northern winemaking competition was held in Orel, to which 80 samples were entered. Of the 15 quiet dry ones, only four did not exceed the limit of 80 points (on the 100-point sommelier rating scale). Meanwhile, standard supermarket wines are those that score 84-85 points. Northern wine no longer has technical defects; in recent years, winemakers have learned to make it very well. There may be too much acidity, but it can be easily masked by residual sugar, i.e. the wine will be made not only dry, but also semi-dry, like the Portuguese Vinho Verde,” the expert added.

He noted that winemaking is gradually reaching even the Moscow region. Of course, not on an industrial scale, but already about 70 enthusiastic winemakers grow grapes and make wine in the Moscow region – and their number grows every year.