San Francisco disqualified 15 Russian wines due to US sanctions

According to glavcom.ua: At the San Francisco International Wine Competition, 15 Russian wineries were disqualified due to the sanctions imposed on them by the United States. The organizers acknowledged an error in allowing Russian wineries to participate and confirmed that they were not eligible to take part in the competition due to existing restrictions.

Following appeals from Ukrainian diplomats and public representatives in San Francisco, the organizers conducted a review and decided to disqualify the Russian participants. This decision shows that the sanctions are working and indicates that reputable American institutions are not willing to serve as a showcase for the Kremlin, despite the suffering of Ukrainian cities and vineyards that have been occupied or destroyed.

Purchase of expensive wines by the Russian elite

Despite the sanctions, the Russian elite, particularly in the Kremlin, continues to purchase expensive collectible wines for tens of thousands of dollars per bottle. It has been noted that the main supplier of these wines is Alexey Repik, a close friend of Putin's daughter, Katerina Tikhonova.

With the implementation of the updated law on grapes and wine in Ukraine starting from early 2026, the country's winemaking industry will meet European standards, which entails modern rules for grape cultivation, production, and labeling of winemaking products.