The Ministry of Agriculture will not extend the moratorium on inspections of imported wine in the Russian Federation from January 1, 2022. The department is not considering this issue at the site, the ministry told Izvestia.
On October 22, 2021, the government approved a decree that blocked regulatory and supervisory measures in the industry. From that moment on, the business was not held liable for non-compliance with the requirements for the classification of wine products.
We are talking about the norms that are laid down in the laws on viticulture and winemaking (468-FZ, entered into force in June 2020) and on state regulation of the production and circulation of ethyl alcohol (171-FZ, entered into force in July 2021). The authorities removed the term “champagne” from both documents, leaving only Russian champagne and sparkling wine. This drew criticism from French producers from the Champagne region.
In particular, in early July, Moet Hennessy Distribution Rus, a supplier to the Russian Federation of Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon and Veuve Сlicquot, warned its partners that it was suspending product shipments. The distributor explained: the new legislation obliges manufacturers to change the labeling on the bottles, writing not “champagne”, but “sparkling wine”. That is, the winemakers needed to replace the counter-label. And then re-certify, as the type of products produced has changed. Later, the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne wines made a statement about the suspension of the supply of drinks to Russia.
Soon the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rosalkogolregulirovanie gave explanations on the new norms of the law, explaining that companies may not be certified again if the composition of the products has not changed.
By today, the companies have changed the labeling of drinks, Izvestia was convinced. For example, Moët & Chandon is already retailing as sparkling wine from Champagne.
Read more in the exclusive material from Izvestia:
A sparkling chance: the moratorium on inspections of winemakers in the Russian Federation will not be extended
#Moratorium #inspections #winemakers #Russia #extended