During the World Cup in Russia the Croats open the Winery

The Russian market is exceptionally large and diverse, but, unfortunately, Croatian products are not sufficiently brought to the market. The good news is that the Croatian winemakers start a special “battle” – the sale of local wines using a special technique – opening the Croatian Winery in Moscow during the World Cup. This is the time when thousands of tourists and football fans from all over the world visit Russia, so winemakers hang high hope.

„We can not compete in quantity in the Russian wine market, but we can certainly supply quality wines,“ has declared Tomislav Tolusic, the Minister of Agriculture at a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Croatia, Anvar Azimov which has attended the representatives of the largest wineries – Kutjevo, Belje and Badel 1862. Despite the huge opportunities of the current market, the export of Croatian wine to the Russian Federation has been so far more than meager.

For the first 10 months of 2017 year there was only 18 hectoliters worth 35 thousand euros and the year earlier it was 219 hectoliters in the amount of 135.4 thousand euros, which some people may consider successful compared to the figures that were 15 years ago, when journalists had found that at that time in the Croatian Embassy in Russia was wine from Montenegro instead of Croatian wine.

„Some Russian consumers have tried Croatian wine while being on summer vacation on the Adriatic coast and we would like to provide them with an opportunity to purchase the same wine in Moscow, Russia. There is also a large number of those who should try our wine, so we have suggested that the most effective way to introduce wine through the Croatian Winery“, reports Kreshimir Milorad, the director of Vina Belje. The way to the Russian market is not so easy. It is obligatory to bring into line a number of tax requirements as well as customs requirements and to provide some documents and licenсes, but the producers are optimistic.

Source: www.vecernji.hr , www.teklic.hr