The Russian Wine Forum discussed how to create wine that will be bought

From vineyards with an area of 47 hectares to multimillion-dollar productions: Russia's leading winemakers spoke about technologies, experiments and consumer demands.

How to create high-quality wine for 500 rubles, why experiment with grape varieties, and is there a universal recipe for wine-making success? These questions became the basis of the practical session "Secrets of winemakers", which took place on October 22 at the V Russian Wine Forum in Gelendzhik. The discussion was attended by representatives of the country's largest wineries, copyright holders, distributors and sommeliers. The moderator was Anton Obrezchikov, Editor—in-chief of Kommersant - Sommelier.

One of the central topics was the economics of Russian winemaking. Anatoly Korneev, chairman of the ABVR Standardization Commission and co-founder of the Simple Group of Companies, estimates that the average cost of a bottle of wine on the Russian market, including imported products, is about 670 rubles. At the same time, consumers are becoming more price-sensitive, and winemakers have to take into account the growing cost of production and changes in consumer preferences.

The participants paid special attention to the restaurant segment. According to the data provided during the discussion, out of about 100 thousand catering establishments in Russia, about 25 thousand have wine lists.. There are about 25 thousand wine names on the market, of which about 6.5 thousand are Russian products. At the same time, manufacturers have to compete for the attention of restaurant guests with cocktails and soft drinks.

Against this background, the issue of affordable quality wine is particularly acute. Kuban-Vino's chief winemaker, Wanda Botnar, noted that large enterprises are able to operate in different price categories due to the scale of production, their own vineyards and a wide range of varieties. In her opinion, quality should remain a priority regardless of the cost of the bottle, since consumers with different income levels expect a decent product.

Shamil Aliyev, chief winemaker of Derbent Wine, shared his experience. The company's development began with investments of 2 billion rubles, and one of the main advantages of production was the opportunity to work with grapes grown in Dagestan. There are about 7-8 thousand hectares of Rkatsiteli vineyards in the region, which makes it possible to develop production based on the local raw material base. In nine years, the company has gone from a little-known project to a producer whose wines receive professional recognition. One of the latest achievements was the gold award for sparkling wine from Rkatsiteli.

At the same time, the approaches of small author farms differ significantly from industrial winemaking. Alyona Tselousova, the chief winemaker of the Sikora Estate, said that the farm has 47 hectares of vineyards and relies on long-term work with varieties and aging of wines. In particular, experiments with the Zolotovsky Red Telescope have been going on for about ten years. During this time, experts changed the methods of vine formation and agrotechnical techniques, studying the characteristics of the variety in a particular terroir.

Another strategy was presented by winemaker Roman Neborsky. In his opinion, the development of the winery is impossible without constant technological experiments. At the same time, the creation of new wines should take into account the economy of the enterprise and the existing assortment. One of the solutions is the production of small experimental batches, which make it possible to evaluate new technologies without significant risk to the main production.

Autochthonous grape varieties and hybrids have become the subject of a separate dispute. Representatives of wineries noted that working with them requires an individual selection of technologies: the same variety can produce completely different results depending on soil and climatic conditions. At the same time, the panelists drew attention to the difficulties of promoting little-known varieties, the names and taste characteristics of which are not yet sufficiently familiar to the mass consumer.

Winemaker Frank Dusener spoke about the international experience of using modern hybrids resistant to diseases of the vine. Such varieties make it possible to reduce the number of vineyard treatments, which is of particular importance against the background of rising production costs. However, their commercial prospects have yet to be assessed.

The role of foreign specialists in the development of Russian winemaking was also discussed. Frank Dusener, who has been working in Russia since 2003, spoke about the practice of training young winemakers directly in production. The training begins with basic technological operations and gradually moves on to tastings and participation in the preparation of blends. Representatives of other companies agreed that the effectiveness of international cooperation largely depends on the consultant's involvement in the production process and willingness to transfer professional experience.

Another topic was changes in consumer demand. The participants discussed the prospects of pink and sweet wines, as well as the possibility of expanding the production of white wines from red grapes. According to Anatoly Korneev, rose wines occupy about 3-4% of the market, although their share in the assortment of individual producers reaches 10%. Such an imbalance complicates sales and forces enterprises to take a more careful approach to production planning.

The discussion showed how different the strategies of Russian wineries are. For some, the competitive advantage is the volume of production and affordable price, for others – working with terroir, long exposure and author's style. However, almost all participants agreed that there is no universal technological recipe. Even with the same equipment, grape varieties, and technologies, the result depends on the decisions of the winemaker, the specifics of the harvest, and an understanding of which wine is in demand on the market.

The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Association "Federal Self-Regulatory Organization of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia" (FSRO ABVR), with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. The Forum is co—Organized by Rosselkhoznadzor. The strategic scientific partner is the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center.