Gegard Depardieu, Russia's new celebrity citizen, has launched several promising projects in Russia. Recently, he has announced plans to manufacture his own branded bio vodka. Besides, the actor disclosed that he would found a chain of restaurants in Moscow and St Petersburg. However, there is more to come. Igor Zotov, a State Duma Deputy and leader of the pensioners’ party called on Sergey Aksenov, interim Governor of Crimea to “consider a possibility of establishing a vineyard committee in the regional government of the Crimean peninsula and to appoint Gegard Depardieu as the chief of the vineyard committee.” The proposal has been endorsed by Vladimir Nikitin, the first deputy of State Duma on the CIS affairs as well as by Leonid Popovich, President of the Russian Union of Winegrowers and Winemakers.
“Monsieur Depardieu is not only the icon of the French cinema and a personality of exceptional charisma. He is also a symbol of the Russian generosity. Besides, he is a world-famous expert in wine making. So, it would be advantageous for the region to engage him to take charge of a state agency like the vineyard committee or a public organization of Crimean wine farmers. In both cases, his precious experience will be of great benefit to the region’s prestige, development of vineyards, and wine industry. It will attract attention of both the Russian and world community to Crimean wines which are not inferior to wines from global vineyard regions, but surpass them in some properties,” Igor Zotov said in the official statement. Moreover, the deputy offered to arrange and conduct a forum of Russian winemakers in Crimea. Later on, it might become a traditional event assembling vine farmers and makers. So, the Crimean peninsula could evolve into the global vineyard center in the course of time. Nowadays, there are 10 wineries in Crimea. The most well-known of them are Massandra winery, a factory in Koktebel producing premium wines and cognacs as well as Novy Svet famous for its sparkling wines.
