Concours Mondial Bruxelles, Russian wines from occupied territories become a case

The case of the Russian wines awarded at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 in Armenia is spreading like wildfire. The revelations made by Winemag and picked up by the Ukrainian press (Drinks+) have caused an uproar in Kyiv. Member of Parliament Igor Fris has announced formal parliamentary inquiries to Ukraine’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Agriculture, and Security Services. Under scrutiny are the origin of the samples, payments, sanction controls, and the classification of “Crimée”, “Crimea”, as an entry separate from Ukraine.

The CMB, in Yerevan, in fact consented to the evaluation and awarding of wines from Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russians, as well as inviting Russian judges to the competition, to the surprise—and discontent—of Ukrainian professionals (and not only). Russia has in fact been excluded from the world’s most important wine competitions since the invasion of Ukraine. The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 held in Armenia broke this “custom,” which carries profound ethical and moral significance.

At the heart of the parliamentary question – which mentions Vinopres, the company owned by the Belgian Havaux family that organises the competition – lies the controversial decision to include Russian wines in the CMB’s official database under the separate heading ‘Crimée – Crimea’. The peninsula is not listed as part of Ukraine nor, at least formally, as part of the Russian Federation.

Fris, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada for the Servant of the People party, has asked Ukrainian institutions to reconstruct the origin of the wines, the registration procedures, the transfer of samples, payments, and the possible involvement of persons or companies subject to sanctions.

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The case was raised by Winemag on July 11. The investigation documented the return of wines and judges from the Russian Federation to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, without prior communication to the Ukrainian judges present in Armenia.

The competition was held in Yerevan from May 21 to 23, 2026, with Armenian public funding indicated at 1.6 million euros. According to data released by the Russian press, 125 samples traceable to the Russian Federation and occupied Ukrainian territories obtained 42 awards: seven Grand Gold medals, 18 Gold medals, and 17 Silver medals.

The Ukrainian publication Drinks+ subsequently collected testimonies from some professionals on the jury. The Ukrainian judges were reportedly not informed of the admission of Russian wines and those from occupied Crimea.

The contested samples were not assigned to their panels. The participation was reportedly discovered only after the publication of results. The matter thus moved from the journalistic and professional level to the political and diplomatic level.

Fris has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the management of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Vinopres. The CMB must clarify who registered the wines, which companies produced and exported them, which intermediaries were involved, and who paid the participation fees.

The verification must include the documents used to certify the country of origin, the route followed by the samples, the places of receipt and storage, and the procedures applied to check producers, applicants, and beneficial owners from a sanctions perspective.

The deputy has also requested the chronology of changes made to the official results database, to verify whether the indications relating to country, region, and origin were changed during or after publication.

Among the requests addressed to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is the suspension of medals awarded to the wines in question, until the completion of verifications. The awards must be canceled if false information emerges, documents issued by occupation authorities, violations of the competition regulations, or non-compliance with international restrictions.

Fris has also asked the CMB to no longer classify Crimea as a separate country or territory of undefined legal status. The database must specify that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied. Indications that directly or indirectly attribute the peninsula to the Russian Federation must also be eliminated.

The competition, in complete silence until now, must also publish a statement in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders. And introduce a mandatory procedure for verifying products from occupied territories.

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Fris has asked the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgium to involve local authorities. Vinopres is based in the country and is the company responsible for organizing the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Belgian authorities must verify the possible receipt of payments, documents, or products from companies operating in occupied Crimea.

Another verification must concern the possible entry of samples into the customs territory of the European Union and compliance with EU Regulation 692/2014 on restrictions applied to goods originating from Crimea and Sevastopol.

The verification must also include any financial transactions with sanctioned persons or related economic entities. Belgian authorities have also been asked for a legal assessment of the use of Crimea as a separate geographical entry by a company based in the country.

Drinks+ has observed that sending wines from the peninsula could conflict with the European regime if the samples are not accompanied by certifications issued by competent Ukrainian authorities. This is, however, a journalistic assessment and not the outcome of an official investigation.

Fris has also involved the Ukrainian Embassy in Armenia. Armenian authorities must clarify who imported the samples, which documents were presented during customs clearance, and which country of origin was declared.

They must also verify the role of Armenian public and private organizations in managing the competition and consider a possible official position on the participation of products from occupied Crimea.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must inform the European External Action Service, the European Commission, and other competent EU bodies. Among the requested initiatives are a diplomatic note to the organizers and intervention with the states in which the registration, payment, receipt, or evaluation of wines took place.

Fris has also proposed consultations between the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and the Ukrainian side, with the participation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, the Representative of the Ukrainian President in Crimea, and professional wine associations.

The Ministry of Economy must evaluate the use of PGI indications and other geographical mentions for wines produced in occupied Crimea. The ministry must identify tools to protect Ukrainian geographical indications, designations of origin, and correct declaration of the country of origin.

It must also prepare a legal position to submit to European institutions on the use of geographical indications by companies operating under Russian administration. A further investigation must establish whether the information provided by applicants and organizers has misled international consumers and operators.

In the official CMB database, at the time of the inquiry, “Crimée – Crimea” was still classified as an autonomous entry. The category includes wines from Massandra, Alma Valley, Aranchi, Chateau Ay-Daniel, and Valery Zaharin. Some labels obtained the Grand Gold medal.

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The Ministry of Agriculture must define an official position on the participation of companies from occupied territories in international competitions, fairs, exhibitions, and tastings. The ministry must prepare, together with Ukrainian wine associations, a document to send to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and other international competitions.

It must also initiate consultations with producers, associations, sommeliers, judges, and specialized media to establish a common intervention procedure in similar cases. Among the requested measures is the preparation of a list of companies, brands, and labels operating in occupied Crimea. The document must be transmitted to competitions, fairs, importers, distributors, and retail chains.

The ministry must also develop recommendations for verifying the origin of products from occupied territories. According to the principle indicated in the parliamentary request, a wine produced in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea can be presented as a Ukrainian product only in the presence of documents issued or recognized by Ukrainian authorities.

The Security Service of Ukraine must verify producers, applicants, exporters, intermediaries, and beneficial owners connected to the awarded wines. The SBU must ascertain the possible presence of sanctions adopted by Ukraine, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other partner countries.

The investigation must include possible links with occupation authorities, Russian state-owned companies, and persons involved in the illegal appropriation of Ukrainian public or private assets. Possible connections with the financing of the war against Ukraine and the origin of money used to pay registration fees, wine transport, advertising promotion, and participation of company representatives in international events must also be verified.

In the presence of the conditions provided by law, the SBU must propose new sanctions or the extension of those already applied. The information collected must then be transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for coordination with international partners. Fris concluded his intervention by quoting colleague Bohdan Yaremenko: “The truth is in wine, but the issue concerns sovereignty.”

This is not the first time the CMB has ended up in institutional and political cases. On the administrative and financial level, an Italian precedent had already concerned the management of public resources allocated to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Calabria.

In 2023, during the settlement of an invoice for 19,500 euros for the transport of judges from the 2022 Rosati Session in Rende, ARSAC had ascertained a tax debt of the supplier company SAP Srl Servizi Automobilistici Pizzo. The regional agency therefore paid 12,255.17 euros directly to the Revenue Agency-Collection, 5,472.10 euros to the company, and 1,772.73 euros for VAT.

The episode did not result in challenges against Vinopres or the competition, but documented how part of the public funds allocated to CMB logistics were intercepted by tax authorities to recover a previous debt of the private supplier. The 2022 Calabrian edition alone cost over 300,000 euros in public resources. The various editions of the CMB have cost Italy a total of over 1 million euros.