"Viticulture center based on the 'Yuzhnaya' agrofirm: a new stage in the development of domestic winemaking"

One of the leading wine producers in Russia is the group of companies "Ariant." Recently, it was announced the launch of a viticulture center based on the agrofirm "Yuzhnaya." The center's operation started on April 22, according to "Rossiyskaya Gazeta."

The company's founder, Alexander Kretov, shared that the construction of the center began a year ago. Significant resources, including human and financial resources, were invested in its creation. Currently, the investment amount is around 500 million rubles, and the enterprise will continue to invest further.

The agrofirm "Yuzhnaya" is one of the largest vine-growing enterprises in the country. It has vineyards covering over 9,000 hectares on the Taman Peninsula and in the Anapa region, including 1560 hectares of young plantations. The agrofirm's vineyards account for about a third of all vine plantations in the Kuban region (32%). In 2023, the agricultural enterprise harvested 108.9 thousand tons of grapes. It also cultivates seedlings for new vineyards and the restoration of plantations, as well as developing a plant protection center and its own technopark. Since 2017, the largest vine seed nursery in Europe has been operating on its premises (2.97 thousand plants in 2023), from which 67% of all seedlings in the Krasnodar region originate.

In recent years, domestic viticulture and winemaking have been developing with significant state support. Since 2020, a new law has been in effect requiring Russian wine to be produced only from grapes grown in the country. These new requirements have increased the demand for domestic grapes.

Since the early 2010s, winemaking in Russia has been experiencing a renaissance, and at the same time, large investors have shown interest in developing vineyards. The demand for domestic wines is growing, aided by measures to protect the domestic market. Starting from August 2023, Russia raised customs duties on wines from unfriendly countries from 12.5% to 20%. The share of domestic wine in the market exceeded 50% by the end of 2023 and is likely to continue to grow. By 2030, the area of fruitful vineyards in Russia is expected to increase by 35%.

The nursery of the agrofirm "Yuzhnaya" covers both its own needs for planting material and supplies raw materials to the domestic market. Its capacity is 6 million rootstocks, with a 50% seedling output. This indicator continues to rise. Seedlings are supplied to enterprises in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as Dagestan. All planting material is ordered for 2-3 years in advance.

One of the tasks of modern viticulture in Russia is to bring science and practice closer together. The viticulture center will serve as an open platform for scientific research and testing of new solutions, and later - for their implementation. Trials of clones of graft and rootstock varieties, the introduction of in vitro industrial technology, cloning, and other breeding methods will be conducted in the center. Negotiations are already underway with several scientific institutes. Collaboration is expected to benefit the industry, including changes in legislation.

Currently, the agrofirm, on which the center is being created, grows more than 130 grape varieties: technical, table, and experimental. This enterprise stands at the origins of creating the first gene pool of grape varieties and clones in Russia, as well as elite mother plants for obtaining purebred cuttings of seedlings. The plans also include the consolidation of collections of valuable varieties from research institutes. Based on this collection, the viticulture center will be engaged in studying and preserving the diversity of varieties, expanding its genetic bank. The collection will become the basis for uniting vine growers and winemakers in the country, accessible to all interested parties. Additionally, the center will provide agricultural consulting, engineering, and materials production services for viticulture to other companies.

The demand for quality domestic planting material will continue to grow. The company states that they are ready to increase their capabilities. Domestic planting materials serve as an alternative to imported seedlings, which do not always suit the conditions of Russia.