The company managing “Massandra” received the brand “Madame Firsova 1869”

The Moe Vino company, which manages the Inkerman, Massandra and Novy Svet wineries, has received a new brand. The brand “Madam Firsova 1869” was transferred to this structure, under which sparkling wines were previously produced at the plant in Gelendzhik, founded in the 19th century. There are few wine brands associated with history in Russia, but a product restart may require investment and a new positioning.

JSC Moe Vino, which manages wine-making assets associated with Bank Rossiya, became the owner of the trademark Madam Firsova 1869 at the end of July, found “Kommersant” in the Rospatent database. As follows from the WineStyle online showcase, since 2007 APK Gelendzhik CJSC has been producing inexpensive sparkling wine under this brand at one of the first industrial wineries known in Russia, founded by Lyubov Firsova in 1869. In August 2022, the Gelendzhik APK ceased operations, the plant is now not working.

The company “My wine”, according to recruiting sites, manages the Crimean wineries “Inkerman”, “Massandra” and “New World”. “Massandra” and “New World” were earlier redeemed from the tender by “South Project” LLC, controlled by the bank “Russia”, the main owner of which is Yuri Kovalchuk. Market participants also associate Inkerman with the shareholders of Rossiya Bank. In June of this year, the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, announced the bank’s plans to invest about 5 billion rubles in Inkerman. In addition, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote, Moe Vino manages the Divnomorskoye Estate winery in Gelendzhik, the owners of which are Gennady Timchenko and Vladimir Kolbin. It was not possible to contact the representatives of “My Wine” “Kommersant”. Divnomorskoye Estate did not answer the questions submitted for the company.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center, says that in Russia there are a limited number of wine brands associated with history, and such brands are most famous on the world market. “Madame Firsova” can also be restarted with proper positioning, the expert notes. According to him, it is difficult to convey the history of the brand to the buyer in the economy segment, and it is more logical to present historical figures associated with Russian winemaking in products in the medium and higher segment. This is done, for example, by Abrau-Durso with the Victor Dravigny brand and Zolotaya Balka with Vitmer, Mr. Stavtsev notes. On the Winlab online showcase, sparkling wine Victor Dravigny costs 659–729 rubles. including discounts and about 1 thousand rubles. no discount for a bottle of 0.75 liters.

The owner of the Kaufman brand agency, Stanislav Kaufman, says that personalized brands can be quite successful in the alcohol market, including in the wine category. But to remind the consumer of the story behind the brand, relaunching the product will require investment in promotion, he adds. Although the director of TSIFRRA Vadim Drobiz doubts the prospects for relaunching Madam Firsova wines, noting that the peak of popularity of local registered alcohol brands can be passed.

According to Rosalkogoltabakkontrolya, in January-July 2023, 5.69 million deciliters of sparkling wines were produced in Russia, which is 4.8% less than in the same period a year earlier. Retail sales of sparkling wines increased by 8.7% to 10.48 million decalitres, year-on-year. From August 1 until the end of 2023, Russia has increased import duties of 20%, but not less than $1.5 per 1 liter for wines from “unfriendly countries”, which should support local winemakers. As Vkusvill reported, increased duties will also affect the availability of popular sparkling wines such as Cava and Prosecco, and in this regard, the chain intends to expand its range, including Russian wines.

Vadim Drobiz notes that local sparkling wines can still increase their share due to local still wines, as the former are often better perceived by the consumer. But a significant increase in production should not be expected, he notes. According to the expert, the demand for sparkling wines is mainly limited to the middle class. And the consumption of cheap sparkling wine is shifting to the category of low-alcohol drinks, wrote WineRetail.

Anatoly Kostyrev