Russia's chief sanitary doctor warns Georgia over wine quality

08.10.2013 (Hvino News) Russia’s state consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, has so far blocked 28 sorts of alcoholic drinks, produced by seven Georgian companies, from entry into the Russian market citing their failure to meet “hygienic standards.”

Rospotrebnadzor published the following list of negative expert conclusions:

- 9 conclusions on wine of company "Imedi 96";
- 5 conclusions on wine of LLC "Schuchmann Wines Georgia";
- 5 conclusions on brandy of "Askaneli Brothers";
- 4 conclusions on brandy of LLC "Akhalsheni 2005";
- 2 conclusions on wine of LLC "Shalvino";
- 2 conclusions on wine of LLC "Tsinandali-the best wines of the XXI century";
- 1 conclusions on wine of LLC "Saamo".

“It makes us to again cast doubt over Georgian side’s willingness to build long-term stable and civilized relations, which in substance can only be based on stability of quality of wine products,” head of Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, told Interfax news agency on October 8.

“Such abundance of negative conclusions… shows that not all Georgian winemakers have learned a lesson from the situation that persisted for many years,” Onishchenko said, referring to Russian ban on import of Georgian products, which was imposed in 2006 and removed this year.

“It gives us all the reason for a possible revision of our attitude towards the intentions of the Georgian side to mend business and partnership relations,” he added.

Also on October 8, Rospotrebnadzor released a statement saying that so far total of 95 Georgian producers of alcoholic drinks and seven mineral water producers have been given green light to sell their products on the Russian market.

Since early summer, when Russia dropped ban on import of Georgian wines, total of 6.13 million liters of alcoholic beverages, mainly wine, produced by 22 companies, were imported from Georgia into Russia, according to the Rospotrebnadzor.

In the same statement Rospotrebnadzor gives data on import into Russia of alcoholic beverages produced in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, saying that quality of those products “remains stable.”

According to Rospotrebnadzor  8.54 million liters of alcoholic drinks, mainly wine, was imported into Russia from two Abkhazia-based producers.

“Shipments of mineral waters from the Republic of South Ossetia into Russia also continue,” Rospotrebnadzor said without giving data on amount of imports.

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