MOET TO RE-LABEL ITS CHAMPAGNE AS SPARKLING WINE TO ABIDE BY RUSSIAN LAW

The Champagne houses of Moet Hennessy will soon include a “sparkling wine” mention on their bottles shipped to Russia to respect a new law that reserves the name of the French region for bubbly wines made in the former Soviet country, Francois De Beaupuy and Aine Quinn reported for Bloomberg News.

The legislative change that requires the “sparkling wine” mention on the label on the back of Champagne bottles is leading to a “very temporary suspension of deliveries” to adjust from a logistics and regulatory point of view, Moet Hennessy -- part of luxury group LVMH -- said in a statement to Bloomberg on Sunday. Shipments will resume as soon as possible, once these adjustments are made.

It’s not the first time that food has got caught up in tensions between Russia and other countries.

President Vladimir Putin’s administration banned tomatoes from Azerbaijan last year following a 44-day war waged by the South Caucasus state against Moscow ally Armenia.

It also introduced a food embargo banning products from Dutch Gouda cheese to Italian Parmesan for sanctions imposed after the 2014 annexation of Crimea. The restrictions have been a boon to some producers in Russia.

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