Sour grapes

Putin has signed into law a bill making it legal – again – to advertise wine on TV, but only if it is produced in Russia from Russian grapes.

While some wine-grade grapes grow in Russia proper, e.g. in Krasnodar, the best “Russian” wines will undoubtedly come from Crimea. IIRC the famous wine cellars and vineyards of Crimea, founded by prince Golitsyn in the 1880s, remained state-owned, that is Ukraine-owned until the annexation.

The Crimean government must have seized them as it has done with other Ukrainian state property. Now it is going to advertise wine from cellars stolen from Ukraine on Russian TV.

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