Russian wine market 'on brink of collapse'

Moscow-based wine writer and importer Bisso Atanassov has kept us informed of the absurdities and frustrations of the Russian wine market in the past. Here he tells us of the latest, potentially crushing developments, and why Baroness Philippine de Rothschild may have to queue at the Pauillac mairie on his behalf.

The new year for the Russian wine trade started on 1 Jul when the Customs Union (CU) between Russia, Byelarus and Kazakhstan became effective. Previously, on 1 Jan, import licences for wine were reintroduced in Russia for the first time since 2006 when the new state control system, EGAIS...