Russian wines removed from the competition in the USA due to sanctions: how it happened

According to МЗС: The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its satisfaction with the decision of the San Francisco International Wine Competition (SFIWC) to exclude 15 Russian wineries from the 2025 competition due to violations of U.S. sanctions legislation. Russian officials attempted to use participation in the competition as a political tool, but they faced a negative outcome.

The organizers of the competition acknowledged their mistake and excluded Russian wines from further participation, emphasizing that sanctions are effective and Russian winemakers will not be able to take advantage of the international platform due to their country's military actions.