Written by Moscow-based wine writer Bisso Atanassov.
Now that the new year has started, some figures about the 2011 wine market in Russia are available. This is the second time since 2008 that the market has shrunk, but only by 1% compared with 2010. This is due mostly to the local producers who had a much smaller harvest in 2010. Imports, on the other hand, rose by 17%. That's the general picture from the outside and it looks positive. But if you open the Pandora's box of the Russian wine and spirits market, you will see things that are far...