French champagne relabelled as ‘sparkling’ wine’ in Russia

(16 Jul 2021) LEAD IN :
For most aficionados, a sparkling wine can be called champagne only if it comes from the region of France with that name and is made under certain regulations.
A new Russian law makes the counter-claim that the word can be used only for Russian wine.
French champagne makers are bemused and upset by the move.

STORY-LINE:
When is sparkling wine .. Champagne ?
Usually the name is reserved for sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of northern France.
However since the 2 July, a Russian law has banned the use of the name Champagne for foreign wines — including French Champagne. In Russia only Russian sparkling wines can henceforth be called Champagne.
And French sparkling wine bottles will have to carry the less glamorous and more common name of sparkling wine.
At one of the production sites in Russia, producers have been pleased to hear that they can use Champagne’s name for their bottles.
Since Soviet times, champagne — “shampanskoye” in Russian — has been used as a generic term for a wide range of sparkling wines, some of which contradict champagne’s luxury image by selling for as little as 150 rubles ($2) a bottle.
“Thanks to experienced technicians, a very good sparkling wine is produced by the Charmat method. Iy was invented a long time ago. The Charmat method has been invented in Italy; they started to use it. Results are very good,” says Igor Trubinov, head wine technician at the “Sparkling wines” company.
But Russian Champagne doesn’t follow the same production techniques.
During its second fermentation, Russian sparkling wine is put in steel tanks where bubbles are trapped.
French Champagne uses a much more labour-intensive and traditional method, involving the rotation of each bottle.
The Russian office of Champagne company Moet Hennessy warned local partners it suspended supplies following the law’s implementation.
This sparked a diplomatic conflict between France and Russia, putting the spotlight on the Russian sparkling wine industry.
Anna Fedorova, marketing director of “Sparkling wines” company says  “That’s pleasant they say about us not only in Russia but also outside the country, that we set some rules. Not us, but the Russian government.”
In France, the news was not very received.
“We were a kind of amazed, we just couldn’t understand what happened. Especially because we weren’t aware of this draft regulation. So, the first reaction was rather incredibility (incredulity). We couldn’t believe it,” says Charles Goemaere, director of the French Interprofessional Committee of Wine of Champagne.
Even though Russia is only the 15th champagne market in the world, according to the Champagne Committee, French producers deeply care about the iconic name of their wine.
The Champagne Committee remains hopeful to a compromise can be reached.
“(Speaking of a meeting with French authorities about potential negotiations with Russian side) It’s important for us to able to restart the shipments to Russia. So, that was ask number one. Ask number two is to try to negotiate a good solution that preserves our right to use the name champagne, which is our patrimony,” says Goemaere.
The ministers of Agriculture and Foreign Trade met with French producers on 9 July to show their support.
Back in Moscow :  
“We have a whole shelf: sparkling wines, prosecco, cremant, cava, lambrusco,” says Margarita Orlova, manager of a Moscow wine shop SimpleWine.
In Russia, the law also confused customers.
“After 2 July, when a new law came out, we observed a double sales growth in comparison to the previous year. ”

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