A new Russian law bans the term "champagne"

Because of a name dispute, Russia's upper class could soon be forced to give up their favorite champagne brand. The Russian subsidiary of the French manufacturer Moët Hennessy announced the suspension of its deliveries due to a new Russian law that reserves the term "champagne" for Russian sparkling wines, while the famous drops from the French region of Champagne are called "sparkling wine". AST, the leading distributor of alcoholic beverages in Russia, announced that Moët Hennessy wrote to inform him of the planned suspension of its champagne deliveries. This step is "justified," said AST boss Leonid Rafailov. According to him, Moët Hennessy would be forced by the law enacted on Friday by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to re-register in Russia. Moët Hennessy's Russia boss, Sebastien Vilmot, did not want to comment on the dispute. Rafailov quoted Vilmot as saying that the suspension of supplies from Moët Hennessy was a "temporary" measure until a solution to the dispute could be found. Like the champagne brands Moët Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Perignon, Moët Hennessy belongs to the French luxury group LVMH. Industry expert Wadim Drobis emphasized that Moët Hennessy only had a small share of the Russian champagne market. "If there is no Moët, there will be no coup and the Russian elites will not commit suicide," joked Drobis. The new law was also joked about in online networks. "Now is the time to forbid Scots and Americans from using the word 'whiskey'," wrote restaurateur Sergei Mironov. The well-known singer Wasja Oblomow, referring to the German luxury car brand, said that the Russian parliamentarians could now enact a similar law for the use of the name Mercedes.