Crimean winemakers, targeted by Western sanctions, have asked Russian officials to limit imports of alcohol from Europe to try to boost sales, ITAR-Tass news agency reported Thursday.
In a letter from Yanina Pavlenko, the head of the Crimea Bureau of Grapes and Wine, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the organization wrote: "These fair measures would allow Crimean winemakers to compensate for the negative effects from EU sanctions while giving Russia's wine industry a boost."
Pavlenko, who also heads the Crimean factory that makes sparkling wine Novy Svet, could not be reached for immediate comment.
The factory is on the EU sanctions list together with a producers' association of 'Massandra' wines and the Azov distillery plant.
The EU banned all imports from Crimea in June as part of its nonrecognition policy toward the "illegally" annexed region.
The sanctions have also prevented European-made corks from being imported for Crimean wine bottles.
Pavlenko told ITAR-Tass previously that such measures could provide Crimeans with another golden business opportunity — planting the trees used for corks, as the Crimean climate is ideal for their growth.
Material from The Moscow Times is included in this report.
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