Whereas the current cold weather is welcomed by our Maltese vines, giving them a well-earned winter rest, in Russia up to 50 per cent of the country’s vines are under threat.

According to a report in a Russian business newspaper, local winemakers are saying that they may lose between 20 and 50 per cent of their vineyard harvest this year because of the bitter cold, as temperatures have plummeted to below -20°C.

One grower, who owns 1,000 hectares of vineyards on the Taman peninsula in Russia’s south, is particularly worried, not only because the severe cold might destroy part of the 2012 harvest but also because it could damage the vineyards themselves.

This concern was echoed by the chairman of a joint Russo-French wine venture, which has 200 hectares of vineyards near the southern town of Anapa, who said that the grapevines themselves might be seriously damaged by the combination of severe freezing and high humidity.

Another wine producer said that the company, which operates 1,600 hectares of vineyards, also on the Taman peninsula, was likely to sell a more seasoned wine at higher prices this year to compensate for possible losses. Meanwhile, one market analyst is predicting that the poor harvest could lead to more production of fake wine and wine imports.