Sparkling mood: Russian champagne will celebrate the New Year in Russia
Russians will drink mostly Russian champagne on New Year's Eve, Izvestia has found out, having interviewed leading sellers, producers and importers of wines. Since the beginning of the year, sales of domestic sparkling wine have been growing steadily; this figure has already reached 50% in some companies, but has not yet reached its peak, business representatives said. To avoid New Year's deficit, retail chains have already increased stocks of sparkling wine.
The best Russian champagne
For all producers of sparkling wines in the Russian Federation and for the house of champagne wines "Novy Svet" New Year holidays are "hot season", told "Izvestia" at the largest enterprise for the production of sparklingwine by the classical method. At the same time, they noted that recently they have recorded an increase in sales of domestic champagne. As explained by the producers, this was due to the measures of state support of the wine industry, promotional activities "Days of Russian wines", the development of wine tourism and the emergence of a large number of new wineries.
- Traditionally, we expect a high demand for the collection of Russian champagne aged "Novy Svet", which includes the famous red sparkling brut wines and semi-sweet red "Novy Svet. Cabernet Sauvignon." Especially red brut "Novy Svet. Cabernet Sauvignon" is becoming more and more popular among consumers. In the past year this wine was awarded three gold medals at international professional competitions, - said the company.
In addition, they noted that before the New Year there is a growing demand for wines made from only one grape variety. The buyer has become more advanced in the matter of winemaking trends, knows a lot, for example, about autochthonous varieties of Crimea, said the press service of "New World".
Taking into account these trends, the favorite is considered to be extra brut white "Novy Svet. Kokur", created from an indigenous grape variety, the company emphasized.
When asked by Izvestia about the advantages of domestic sparkling wine over imported sparkling wine, the company noted that the production and sale of Russian champagne is clearly regulated at the state level.
- Russian champagne is produced only from grapes grown on the territory of the Russian Federation, which guarantees high and stable quality of the product. The advantage of Russian champagne over imported champagne is its relatively low price, as well as its constant availability on the shelves," Novy Svet said.
In the organization Ladoga sales of Russian sparkling wine increased by 50% for nine months. And total market sales of this drink for the same period increased by 6%, said the president of the company Veniamin Grabar.
According to him, sparkling wine is a rather conservative category: it still remains a mandatory attribute in case of celebrations, gifts, and here it is most difficult for the consumer to change the category.
Alexander Lipilin, Executive Director of Fort wine trading company, noted that the sales of sparkling wine in Russia for ten months of 2024 in quantitative terms increased by 15% compared to the same period last year.
- Sparkling wines and champagne are becoming increasingly popular in our country. Their consumption is gradually moving beyond festive occasions. These wines are increasingly bought for everyday consumption, which confirms the stable growth in demand in recent years. Despite the increase in prices, sales continue to grow, especially before the New Year," explained the business representative.
According to him, in recent years Russian champagne has been chosen for corporate gifts by state and private companies. The reason is not only the more favorable price, but also the increasing quality and popularity of Russian wine. In 2024, the demand for domestic sparkling wine increased by about 27% in volume terms compared to 2023, although November, traditionally the peak month of sales, has not yet ended, Alexander Lipilin noted.
- Regulatory changes in 2024 have significantly affected the cost of sparkling wines. Drinks from unfriendly countries rose in price by about 40%, from friendly countries - by 20-25%. Russian sparkling wine has also increased in price, but still remains more affordable than imported counterparts, - said Alexander Lipilin.
He also noticed that in general this year about 70-80% of corporate clients choose domestic alcohol for gifts. Compared to last year, the demand for these products has increased to 50-60%.
Prices for sparkling wine
Metro has increased its stocks of champagne and sparkling wines compared to previous years, counting on three or four months of active sales, Tatiana Yastrebova, the head of the company's wine purchasing department, told Izvestia.
- We expect an active season, as we see that buying activity has already increased in the segment of sparkling wines and champagne. Such drinks in the price range from 700 to 1.5 thousand rubles are in the highest demand. In addition to classic favorites such as Prosecco, Brut, Cava and Crémant, there is a growing interest in Russian sparkling wines, the sales volume of which is increasing every year," she explained.
According to her, this year the company has compiled a rating of Russian wines, highlighting sparkling drinks in different price categories, presented on the shelves of the retail network to make it easier for buyers to navigate.
- In anticipation of the high season, the retail chain Pyaterochka has formed a stock of sparkling wines half as much as the average monthly flow of 2024, which is 30-35% more than last year's stock. This year there is a shift in consumer demand for such drinks from domestic producers, preference is given to products of the middle price segment, - said in the press service of X5 Group.
They also noted that in 2023, sparkling wines, which belong to the low price segment, were popular among the citizens of the Russian Federation. Such drinks in tin cans have not lost popularity in 2024, they are also expected to be in high demand in the high season, the company said.
"Magnit" this year by 15% increased the stocks of champagne and sparkling wines in the network for the pre-holiday season, told "Izvestia" in the press service of the retail chain. The assortment is dominated by Russian champagne and sparkling wines, which are traditionally in great demand among consumers. This year, as in the past, the most popular with buyers are sparkling wines of the middle price category, the company added.
They also expect even greater growth in demand for domestic products and an increase in the share of Russian sparkling wines in sales.
- On average, large retail chains offer from 27 to 303 varieties of sparkling and champagne wines, depending on the format of the store. This year's offer is comparable to 2023 in terms of diversity of positions. The main share on the shelves of stores is Russian sparkling - it accounts for more than 40% of the assortment of this category of drinks, the remaining share is occupied by sparkling wines from Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, South Africa, Chile, Hungary, Georgia, Armenia and Germany- said "Izvestia" chairman of the presidium of ACORT Igor Karavaev.
According to him, now there is a growing interest of consumers in domestic novelties and already known brands of sparkling wine. Russian products are leading in the sales volume, he noted.
At the same time, foreign brands also have their own consumers - the share of imported sparkling wine still accounts for up to a third of sales annually. Prices for imported drinks this year were indexed taking into account the increase in import duties, said the business representative.
On average, the minimum cost of imported sparkling wine from European countries is 350 rubles per bottle, while the minimum price for domestic drinks is 31% lower, ACORT said. Our drinks win the competition here as well.
