The glass school: Russians began to actively choose domestic wine and beer
Russians have switched to domestic wine and beer brands, and demand for these drinks remains stable. A consumer who appreciates the quality is happy to accept new products. This was discussed by representatives of both industries during the specialized sessions and events of the Russian Retail Week, held at the International Trade Center. Brewers and winemakers discussed how local raw materials, government support, new consumer trends and structural distortions related to regulatory burden affect the transformation of industries, as well as which factor is considered key for consumers in choosing drinks today. The information about what problematic issues need to be resolved and what kind of future businesses are preparing for is in the Izvestia article.
How do Russian brewers see the future
The domestic brewing industry, despite the decline in overall consumption and production over the past two years, has demonstrated growth potential due to the development of its own brands and a shift in demand towards local products. This was stated by Taimuraz Bolloev, Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Beer and Alcohol Industry, founder of the Baltika Brewing Company, at the first industry forum "Beer of Russia: Heritage and Modernity" at the Russian Retail Week.
— Russian brewers are faced with the issue of developing their own brands. And the society accepted it with pleasure, because the quality of the beer is high. The development of Russian brands has started to go very actively," he said.
Taimuraz Bolloev also noted pressing problems in the industry, including a drop in consumption and production of foam due to an increase in the tax burden.
During the meeting of the Council for the Development of the beer and Alcohol industry, held at the forum, the participants discussed ways to solve these problems.
— We have decided to reach government levels, substantiate the problems that need to be solved, — said Taimuraz Bolloev.
To promote domestic beer, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, together with Roskachestvo and the Ministry of Agriculture, plans to create beer fairs by analogy with wine fairs, Artur Samokhin, head of the Intersectoral Projects Department of the Department for the Development of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said during the expert session of the forum.
Russian beer is already perceived by consumers as an independent and competitive product, and not as a compromise alternative to imported analogues, Irina Fedorova, Director of Corporate Relations and Government Relations at Baltika, said during the session.
New trends are changing the structure of alcoholic beverage consumption, and the brewer has a lot to offer, she added to Izvestia. Today, according to her, consumers are becoming more aware, they have preferences in beer varieties. The company strives to meet the needs of customers for a novelty — it offers new flavored beers and expands the range of soft drinks.
The development of brewing is in line with the state policy to reduce the consumption of strong alcohol, industry participants believe.
"Through the consumption of low—alcohol beverages and through the consumption of beer, all countries are fighting to reduce the consumption of strong alcoholic beverages, and Russia is no exception in this regard," Taimuraz Bolloev is convinced.
The beer industry is a very big driver for supporting the region, agrees Zaurbek Mildzikhov, Director of Public Policy at Beverages Together. According to him, in 2025, the industry showed a significant flow of excise taxes to regional budgets — more than 270 billion rubles. Therefore, he is sure that the regions and businesses need to deal with all the barriers to the sale of brewing products. This will be the biggest support, the top manager believes.
However, in order to realize the potential, support measures are needed, both from regulators and from retail, including expanding shelf space and stimulating demand through marketing initiatives such as the Beer of Russia campaign, business representatives believe.
The brewing industry in the Novosibirsk Region alone brings 17 billion rubles of excise taxes to the budget, and one workplace at the plant generates about seven others, said Dmitry Grishunin, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the region, head of the Department for Regulation of the consumer market and services. According to him, tax deductions for companies and a "balanced approach" in regulation can stimulate the growth of the industry.
What are winemakers and retailers preparing for?
The trend towards localization and "Russianness" is evident not only in beer. By the end of 2025, sales of Russian wine reached 688 million bottles, which is 4% more than a year earlier. Such data was provided by the head of the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers (ABVR) Zhanna Belovol during the plenary session "Wine and Trade 2030". As follows from the presentation of the association, the demand for domestic brands grew despite the general decline in sales in the category. Thus, by the end of 2025, wine sales as a whole decreased by 4%, to 1.1 billion bottles, while the share of Russian brands increased by 5 percentage points and reached 63%.
According to the organization, sales of Russian "quiet" wines in 2025 increased by 4% year-on-year, to 416 million bottles, and the market share increased to 57% (+5 percentage points). Although sales of the entire category decreased by 4% last year, amounting to 734 million bottles. Sales of Russian sparkling wine amounted to 272 million bottles, which is 4% more than a year earlier, according to AVVR materials. The share of domestic brands reached 74%, which is 3 percentage points more than in 2024. At the same time, sales of the entire category of such wines decreased by 2%, to 366 million bottles.
Experts attribute this dynamic to a change in consumer preferences. As noted by Elena Samodurova, an analyst at the FMCG market, the young audience increasingly prefers non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks with a pronounced taste. However, sparkling wines are still one of the key demand categories during the holidays. At the same time, the decline in sales is not so much due to a change in consumer culture as to the availability of products on store shelves, Marya Day, Executive Director of the Simple Group, emphasized during the plenary session.
— If we continue to increase prices with the same dynamics that we have been increasing for the last couple of years, then, in principle, all our wine will become premium in the eyes of our consumers, — she believes.
She also stressed that Russian wine producers need to take a more careful approach to pricing policy. At the same time, if the government continues to raise excise taxes and maintain high duties, there is a risk of a further decline in consumer demand, the expert believes. Vladislav Kurbatov, Managing Director of the Pyaterochka retail chain, agreed with this. According to him, the purchase price of wine has increased by an average of 24% in a year and a half, while the shelf price has increased by 13%.
"We are artificially restraining inflation because we need it to be sold," he stated.
According to the participants of both discussions, it is necessary to strive to increase efficiency in the field of taxes and state regulation, and for the state and business to build partnerships for the development of industries. In general, the prospects for the development of the domestic alcohol market will depend on the balance between the fiscal burden and government support measures, market participants believe.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
