Abrau-Durso (winery)

Abrau-Durso (mcx: ABRD) is a Russian wine company located in the village of Abrau-Dyurso near both Lake Abrau, the Dyurso River and the Black Sea Coast and about 15 km west of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

The winery was established in 1870 by decree of the Emperor of all the Russias Alexander II.[1][2] It produces and sells sparkling wines, and also operates a hotel, spa, and restaurant.[4][5] Abrau-Durso is described as owning one of the best wine regions in Russia, and belongs to Boris Titov through his SVL Group since 2006.[6][7][8][9]

In 1975, Abrau-Durso began exporting its champagne Nazdorovya to numerous countries including the countries of Eastern Europe, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Mexico, and the USA with PepsiCo through its wholly owned 1934 founded importing firm Monsieur Henri Wines supplying Nazdorovya champagne along with Stolichnaya vodka to the American market. This was the first cooperation of food production between the United States and the USSR during détente.[3][10][16][17][25][26][27]

To show support for Abrau-Durso, Vladimir Putin visited the winery on 20 August 2013.[33]

In July 2015, the Russian Wine House Abrau-Durso group of companies controlled the Champagne Wine Factory in Abrau-Dyurso, the Lazurnaya Yagoda winery (Gelendzhik, Usadba Divnomorskoye and Abrau brands), which are closely associated with Vladimir Putin through his palace at Gelendzhik, the Chateau d'Avize Champagne House (Champagne, France, Foliage brand), as well as the Vedernikov Group of Companies in the Rostov Region.[4][34][35][36][37]

In 2019, Vedomosti reported that the Abrau-Durso wine group is the largest Russian producer of champagne and sparkling wines with an estimated 19% share of the Russian market.[38]

Boris Titov's SVL Group, which owns Abrau-Durso, owned the formerly Moet & Chandon label, which had been owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Chateau d'Avize beginning in June 2010. In May 2014, Boris Titov handed over his Abrau-Durso champagne factory to his son Pavel Titov as chairman of the board of directors. In early March 2023, the Pavel and Boris Titov associated Abrau-Durso Group announced that it had sold its French asset the champagne house Chateau d'Avize, which is located in the heart of Côte des Blancs, in January 2022. Pavel Titov, who is closely associated with Alexei Repik through Delovaya Russia (DR), noted that Abrau-Durso Group had owned Foliage, Chateau d'Avize and Titov & Fils, which all are produced in the region, and would only retain Titov & Fils.[39][40][41][42][43][44]

In late January 2021, Vladimir Putin stated, "I have an adviser - Boris Titov, who is the owner of Abrau-Durso, our large company with a good background. <… >He's my adviser now. When I'm done, maybe I'll go work as an adviser to him. But not as a businessman, but as a specialist - at least in the field of law." Boris Titov replied, "There is no entrepreneur in the world who would not agree or refuse such an offer," because Titov knows that in the field of law Putin "knows the wine industry very well" and signed the law for wine and grapes which today "is working with might and main and developing winemaking in Russia." Pavel Titov added that Putin's statements were a "complete surprise" and said that for a sparkling wine maker "it would be a great honor to work with a specialist of this level."[46]

Although sunflower oil is the most popular cooking oil in Russia, the Abrau-Durso group announced in February 2021 that it began producing grape seed oil with Yubileinaya winery in Krasnodar Krai, which is part of the Abrau-Durso group, providing the pressing.[38]

In January 2022, after the Abrau-Durso holding gained a 51% stake in Kosmetech LLC on October 1, 2021, the Arbau-Durso holding announced that it would be producing Abrau Cosmetics, which is a line of cosmetic products based upon its grape seed oil, with Pavel Titov's wife Ksenia Titova along with Ruslan Romantsev, who owns the remaining 49% stake in Abrau Cosmetics, as CEO heading this Kubanbytkhim LLC based Novorossiysk located division.[47][48][49]

In March 2023 TASS reported that, since 1870 in Russia, Abrau-Durso has been a leading producer of sparkling and still wines with exports to over 19 countries.[41]

In December 2023, the Abrau-Durso wine holding, which includes the wineries Abrau-Durso, Loza, and Vedernikov Winery, was controlled by three people: Boris Titov through his Aktiv Capital LLC with a 57.8% stake, Pavel Titov with a 32% stake and Igor Lozovsky with a 1% stake.[7][51]

See also

• Lev Golitsyn

External links

• Official website