Tashkent – a city of wine – Newspaper Kommersant No. 209 (7410) dated 11/11/2022

Against the backdrop of difficulties with the import of alcohol from Western countries and consumer savings, Russian distributors have sharply increased the import of inexpensive wines from Uzbekistan. For three quarters of the year, imports from this country to Russia increased 4.5 times, to almost 850 thousand liters. In the segment of wines up to 300 rubles. per bottle there is a shortage of production and the potential to increase supply.

Uzbekistan became the leader in terms of growth in wine supplies to Russia in the first three quarters of 2022. According to Kommersant’s data from market participants, over the period almost 847,000 liters of still and fortified wines were imported from the country, which is 4.5 times more than a year earlier. The main volume – more than 515 thousand liters – came from imports in the third quarter.

According to market participants, most of the wines from Uzbekistan were imported by Wine and Cognac Trust LLC (VKT), whose owner and general director in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities is Mikhail Fomin. According to Rospatent, he owns several alcohol brands, some of which were previously owned by the Armenian alcohol supplier Yerevan Cognac House. According to the Federal Accreditation Service, VKT received declarations of conformity for wines and cognacs from the Tashkentvino plant, the main producer of alcohol in Uzbekistan. A smaller part of wine imports from Uzbekistan, according to market participants, was provided by Mistral Alco, which is mainly known as a supplier of Abkhazian wines to Russia.

Ports of Tashkentvin are on the online showcase of the Red & White network at 299.99 rubles. per bottle of 0.75 liters, and the wines of this plant – in “Bristol” at a price of 249.9 rubles. for a bottle of 0.75 liters. Red & White, Tashkentvin, VKT and Mistral Alko did not provide any comments.

Fort import director Daria Sologub says that Uzbekistan was a major supplier of table grapes back in Soviet times, and now they have begun to make wine there as well. The process of re-equipping the industry is quite long, so the quality of wines is average so far, but importers working in the inexpensive segment could bet on the country, she points out. In addition, Ms. Sologub adds, consumers can switch to inexpensive wines in conditions of economy. Dmitry Isachenkov, development director of Ladoga, says that Uzbek wines are close to the consumer in the post-Soviet space in terms of organoleptic properties, and logistics with the country is simple. But at a comparable price, you can find European wine, he notes.

South Ossetia occupied the second place in terms of growth rates of wine deliveries to Russia in January-September. Year-on-year deliveries increased by almost 50% to over 1.25 million liters. According to market participants, these are mainly the products of the Ironsan winery. On the WineStyle online showcase, the wines of the enterprise cost from 531 rubles. for a bottle of 0.75 liters. Distributors “Ironsan” “Kommersant” did not answer. Taimuraz Goginov, trade representative of South Ossetia in Russia, says that the pace of wine supplies from the country is not slowing down, and demand is high.

The composition of the top three suppliers of still wines to Russia has not changed. According to Kommersant’s data, Italy holds the first place for the nine months of this year with more than 39 million liters, which is 4% less than a year earlier. Imports of still wines from Georgia increased by 15% to 37.7 million liters, while imports from Spain decreased by 13% to 34.2 million liters.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center, notes that it is also necessary to take into account the import of wine from Armenia, the volume of which is difficult to estimate, but this year the supply of wine from the country should have increased sharply, as local enterprises spoke about the rush demand in Russia. Luding Group Marketing Director Andrey Ushakov confirms that Armenian wines of the middle segment are increasing distribution in retail chains, while high-end wines are in demand in wine boutiques and HoReCa. According to him, Luding increased the sales of wines from the largest partner from Armenia – Karas winery – by 120%.

The potential for growth in the supply of inexpensive wines, including from Uzbekistan, remains in the Russian Federation. According to Alexander Stavtsev, there is a shortage of wine in the low price segment on the Russian market as a whole – up to 300 rubles. per bottle – in retail after the disappearance of drinks from foreign wine materials.

Anatoly Kostyrev