TASS (based on expert estimates): in 2022, the cost of production of Crimean wine increased by 20%

CrimeaPRESS reports:

In 2023, prices for Crimean wines may fall after the launch of heavy trucks on the Crimean bridge.

The cost of production of Crimean wine in 2022 increased by 20%, and the cost of logistics of finished products also increased by 1.5 times, said TASS interviewed experts. This year, prices may fall after the launch of the movement of heavy trucks on the Crimean bridge, but winemakers are now signing contracts for a year, taking into account the current situation.

This year the price of wine will depend on several factors. First, the cost will rise with inflation. But taking into account the fact that the movement of freight transport along the Crimean bridge may soon open, the price of transportation may fall. In any case, today, all the measures that the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Crimea are taking are enough to curb price increases.— said Timofey Mesenyashin, Director of the Association of Viticulturalists and Winemakers of Crimea, Advisor to the Rector of the Crimean Federal University for Innovation.

He added that those businesses that have previously built up inventory and «consumables» such as bottles can survive the current price fluctuations.

Companies that have not accumulated inventory balances will have growth— added Mesenyashin.

Prices are rising. For all.

According to the Crimean winemakers, the cost of logistics after the ban on the movement of heavy trucks on the Crimean bridge increased by about 1.5 times. So, the director of the Sevastopol winery, Alexander Vasyukov, said that earlier the transportation of one truck to the mainland was about 90 thousand rubles, now it is 150 thousand rubles and more.

Dmitry Plotnikov, chairman of the Crimean Association of Sommeliers, notes that the price of all components, such as bottles, packaging, corks, has increased over the past year, which is why the cost of production has increased by about 20%. At the same time, further growth in prices will primarily affect budget wine.

Logistics costs did not change the final price much — by 5-10% on average. At the same time, for expensive wine, price changes will be imperceptible. But if we talk about wine that is sold for 200-300 rubles, this is a wine of dubious quality, here logistics costs can be up to half the cost of a bottlePlotnikov said, adding that now is the best time to transport wine, as additional cooling is not required.

Harvest transportation.

Some winemakers note that more problems arose when sending the grapes themselves, the transportation period of which is very limited. For example, the Sevastopol winery is now unable to conclude contracts with Krasnodar enterprises for the supply of grapes.

Now is the time that we are contracting for the shipment of the crop. Last year we had an agreement with Anapa for the supply of grapes. It is more difficult to deliver by land corridor and therefore we cannot conclude an agreement now, because we are starting from the current situationVasyukov said.

At the same time, despite the completed repair of the Crimean bridge, winemakers are not sure that by the beginning of the harvest in August, freight traffic will resume with a minimum number of queues. Director of the All-Russian National Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking «Magarach» of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Likhovskoy specified that refrigerators can be used to transport the crop, but in this case the cost of transportation also increases. The interviewed winemakers say that in this case, the cost of transporting the crop additionally increases by about one and a half times.

About the new transportation route.

The route through new regions to Crimea gained relevance after a terrorist attack was committed on the Crimean Bridge on October 8, 2022. Carriers are gradually increasing interest in the land corridor that connected Crimea with other subjects of the Southern Federal District and is expected to soon become one of the main transit routes.

First Deputy Minister of Transport of Crimea Nikolai Lukashenko previously told TASS that the roads connecting Crimea with the Kherson region are in satisfactory condition, and the route through the new regions of Russia to Rostov-on-Don has been mostly repaired. The corridor remains safe for drivers, with more than 70,000 vehicles passing through it since its opening, and traffic is constantly growing.

Photo: pikist.com.