Marina Romanova: Russians do not drink wine. They prefer vodka

According to the latest estimations, the actual alcohol market in Russia is two times higher than the official figures would show, making up the order of 240m decalitres annually, or Rbs50bn. The average norm of alcohol consumption in Russia has reached 14 litres of pure alcohol per capita per annum. At that, 90% of the market accounts for vodka, while as little as 6%, accounts for wine. The share of grape wine has decreased over the last 5 years from 177m decalitres to 18.4 decalitres per annum. The share of fruit wine has decreased from 48.2m decalitres to 4.1m decalitres per annum. The Champaign consumption, however, stays unchanged, making up about 100m bottles annually. Some 1,200 factories are engaged in alcoholic beverages in Russia, with 150 domestic factories supplying spirit to them. The spirit consumption in the food industry makes up 51mn decalitres per annum. The leader of spirit consumption in Russia is the Moscow Kristall distillery (7mn decalitres). The alcohol production is supplied to the market by about 3,000 wholesalers, of which 196 are operating in Russia’s “northern capital,” St. Petersburg. Starting this years, as little as 26 organizations have been granted the “excise warehouse” status.

Marina Romanova PRAVDA.Ru St.Petersburg

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/10/33633.html