MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Russia’s grape harvest will plunge to 760,000 metric tons in 2023, down from 890,000 metric tons one year earlier, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said at the Second Russian Winemaking Forum.
"We had a record-high [grape] harvest in 2022. It was nearly 890,000 metric tons of grapes. We will not be able to reach such a record number this year. The harvest will be potentially about 760,000 metric tons," the minister noted.
Bottling of still, sparkling and fortified wine declined by 7% over the first nine months of 2023, Patrushev said. "Nevertheless, all of you understand pretty well that this data point does not count wine in bulk," he added.
Over 66 mln dekaliters of wine materials were produced over the first nine months of 2023, the minister noted. "This is already above the total for the entire year of 2022," he said.