Moscow, Russia - Observant Jews Stand Tall in Face of a Kosher Wine Shortage

Moscow, Russia - As a result of a bureaucratic blunder, new regulations are keeping imported wines and spirits off the Russia market this summer.
While the shortage may only be a minor problem for the mostly vodka-drinking Russian population, it turned into a real issue for religiously observant Russian Jews.

Moscow’s kosher supermarket’s shelves are now devoid of kosher wine. The extensive selection of kosher wines that once occupied a large portion of the store’s shelf space is now taken up by bottles of kosher grape juice.
Synagogues across Moscow have enough wine for their kiddush cups, according to a source within Marina Roscha Synagogue, they have enough old stock to keep going for some time, although technically, its use may not be entirely legal.

But no one seems to mind. The young Artem Vitkin from Moscow, a religiously observant Jew, doesn’t consider the lack of imported kosher wine a problem. “We don’t drink” kosher wine “because we love wine,” Vitkin said, explaining that his family uses it mostly for ritual purposes. So far, his stock has lasted. But if he runs out, he could call upon the small kosher wine black market that has sprung up in Moscow’s religious circles. Vitkin hinted that kosher wine could be obtained easily in a local synagogue.