Russian Agriculture Ministry offers clarification on Champagne labeling debate

MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Russian legislation does not prohibit using the Champagne label for wines, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture told TASS on Wednesday. "Federal Law No. 468-FZ on viticulture in the Russian Federation has been in effect since June 26, 2020, which introduced the classification of wine products, with wines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines being their kinds in particular. Federal Law No. 345-FZ of July 2, 2021, introduced the corresponding amendments to Federal Law No. 171-FZ on alcohol, which provides for a similar classification based on international standards. If a producer duly registered a geographic designation for wine products, including Champagne, then the law does not contain a ban on its use," the ministry said. At the same time, indicating the kind of wine products on the label is mandatory, even for imported products, the ministry said. The state agency noted that no information or request was received from the European Commission on this matter. If any are received, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture will be ready to arrange consultations to elaborate on the current laws in due course. Moet Hennessy is assessing and studying the new Russian wine-making legislation, the company told TASS on Tuesday. The company suspended supplies to Russia in order to review the new legislation and its implications for French producers, it said. RBC reported earlier that Moet Hennessy sent a letter to its Russian partners, notifying them about the intent to halt champagne supplies to Russia for an indefinite period because of the new law, whereby the company has to change the product marking and category from champagne to sparkling wines. On July 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law previously adopted by the State Duma and approved by the Federation Council, which defines the specifics of the production and turnover of wine products in Russia. Importers will have to use the ‘sparkling wine’ name but it should only be indicated on the back of product labels. Read more