by Eleonora Scholes
Bag in box wines now account for almost 80% of total table wine sales in Russian retail outlets. While they are in especially strong demand in large supermarket chains such as Auchan or Ramstor, smaller shops see more competition from Tetra Pak. Nonetheless, bag-in-box retains the strongest position there, too, with shares of domestic and imported wines about equal. These alternatives are successful for two reasons: one, they are cheaper by a third than the same bottled volume and two; consumers find the packaging more convenient.
Russkaya Loza, or Russian Vine, is by far the most popular brand. Owned by the leading fine wine importer Vinicom, it is produced in southern Russia near Anapa. In 2005 7.5 million litres were released on the market, a fifth of total table wine sales in Russia. In November 2006 it was acclaimed Domestic bag-in-box wine of the year at the national award ceremony Consumer Product . The Russkaya Loza range consists of 10 wines, 8 red and 2 white, some sweet, some dry. It comes in both 2 and 3 litre BIBs, allowing consumers their choice. According to Alexander Sharikov, Vinicom s general director, Russkaya Loza success is due to the right combination of pricing, quality and product range.
