Vineyard area in Russia grows by 6,000 ha to 105,000 hectares in 2023 - AgMin

MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - Vineyard area in Russia expanded by 6,000 hectares and reached 105,000 hectares in 2023. This year will so another increase of 6,000 hectares, the Agriculture Ministry said.

"The industry has shown good growth rates in recent years, with vineyard area in Russia currently exceeding 105,000 hectares. Last year winegrowers and winemakers planted more than 6,000 hectares of new vineyards. This year we plan to keep this pace and think that the area of new vineyards will amount to almost 6,000 hectares," said Irina Fedina, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Food and Processing Industry, at the opening of the spring stage of the Russia-wide "Days of Russian wines".

Output of Russian wine products is also growing, she said, last year amounting to 60 million decaliters (dal). In Q1 2024, thanks to the fact that the previous two years "a good, even very good grape harvest," 16 million dal of wine products have already been produced.

Fedina also reported that domestic winegrowers and winemakers receive state support under a special federal project titled "Stimulating the development of viticulture and winemaking". Financing for this project annually totals 3.5 billion rubles.

"But winegrowers and winemakers also have access to all other measures of support under the state program of agricultural development. We expect that the industry will not lose momentum," Fedina said.

According to Rosalkogoltabakkontrol, in 2023, still and sparkling wines accounted for the bulk of wine products produced - 29.99 million and 14.1 million dal respectively.