Wine Law

THE 2019 RUSSIAN LAW ON VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING 495 wine tasting panels is established in the grape growing and winemaking zones to conduct regular sensory evaluations of the quality of viticulture and wine products. Finally, relevant research institutions must be involved in the procedure for the establishment and the operation of these panels. The winemaking properly is dealt with in Chapter 3, starting, in article 18, with the classification of the different types of wine products 49 – the wines could be distinguished based on the (1) sugar content, (2) ethyl alcohol by volume (the fortified wines), (3) ageing period (including the sparkling wines) and (4) the sparkling wines can be further divided by their sugar content. The next exhaustive list concerns the authorised technological methods of processing grapes intended for use in the wine goods’ production (art. 19) 50 , followed by the requirement to apply only what is provided for in the technological rules for wine production (art. 20). Then are fixed the approved general technological methods and operations of processing grape must, wine, fortified wine and sparkling wine at any stage of the production process (art. 21), with special provisions concerning the approved technological methods and operations of processing grape must (art. 22). Stated in article 23 are the approved technological methods and operations for the production of wine, fortified wine and sparkling wine, while other technological methods for their production are explicitly prohibited (art. 24). Of significant importance is the enumeration of the raw materials and supplies approved for use in the production of wine, fortified wine and sparkling wine (art. 25). In order not to mislead the consumer, special requirements are established in article 26 for the labelling and the retail sale of the wine products: all grape- containing alcoholic beverages with ethyl alcohol by volume not exceeding 22% or the alcoholic beverages which otherwise do not respect the complexity of legal and technical conditions for being certified as wine, must bear the self- explaining inscription “This is not wine” (3). Such beverages must be displayed for retail in the sales areas separately from wine, fortified wine, and sparkling wine in a way that allows the visual separation of these products, and must be accompanied by the inscription "This product is not wine” (5). Sparkling wine made in Russia from grapes grown in Russia by secondary fermentation of cuvée in vessels that serve as package containers at their retail sale may use the name “Russian champagne” on such products’ labels (6). 49 There is an inexactitude in the English translation of the US Department of Agriculture, cited above in note 41. The title wording of article 18 is “Classification of the different types of wine products” (Классификация отдельных видов винодельческой продукции), not “Classification of certain types of wine products” – the listing that follows is limiting, not by way of example. 50 According to the definition of article 3(23), winemaking is the production of wine products.