Wine Law

THE 2019 RUSSIAN LAW ON VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING 489 2. THE COURSE OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS RELATED TO THE NEW FEDERAL LAW ON VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING The project for the adoption of a specific sectorial law for winemaking and wine-trading was on the table for 27 years. An initial draft was proposed in 1993 by the then National Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking (Научно-исследовательский институт виноградарства и виноделия), with the National Association of the Winemakers 13 taking part in the debate. This first stage of legislative enhancement for the wine production was crowned by the adoption of Federal Law No. 171-FZ, and, as unsatisfying as it was, it remained the principal regulating act in the domain until 2020. Subsequently, some new national standards have been adopted to complete those existing from the Soviet times, for instance, a State standard on the table wines and the table wine materials, issued in 2006 14 , and a 2009 State standard on the sparkling wines and the sparkling pearl wines 15 . In the lack of a wine law on a national level and respecting the specificities of the Russian State construction, most regions concerned with the winemaking’s advancement adopted their own local legislation. In 1998, the region of Krasnodar (which occupies all the Russian Eastern coast of the Black Sea) published its own “Law on viticulture and production of grape processing products in the region of Krasnodar” – in the next years, its vitality was confirmed by 12 amendments, until being repealed in 2019 after the adoption of the new federal law 16 . In the Republic of Dagestan (facing in the east the Caspian Sea, with a coastline of 530 km), entered into force, in 2000, “Law on grape and wine”, later replaced in 2015 17 . In 2004, the region of Stavropol (located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Seas) adopted its own “Law on state support of viticulture and winemaking” 18 . This local legislative experience was overall positive, and the regions concerned became 13 ОАО “Росвиноградвинпром” (Rossvinogradvinprom public corporation). In 2001, it was replaced by the Union of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia (Союз виноградарей и виноделов России - СВВР), established with the task to protect the interests of domestic winegrowers and winemakers. 14 GOST R 52523-2006 Table wines and table wine-stocks. General specifications; available in: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200043553. 15 GOST R 51158-2009 Sparkling wines and sparkling pearl wines. General specifications; available in: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/gost-r-51158-2009. 16 Source : http://pravo.gov.ru/proxy/ips/?doc_itself=&backlink=1&nd=140003682&page=1&rdk=8# I0. 17 Source : http://docs.cntd.ru/document/430661120. 18 Source : http://docs.cntd.ru/document/461502884.