Armenian brandy: Belarus bans “Arame” 7-year-old, saying it fails quality rules
- Published
- Place
- Minsk, Belarus
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Belarus has banned imports and sales of the Armenian brandy “Arame”, aged 7 years and made by the company MAP in Lenughi, in the Armavir region, since 31 October. The state standards agency, Gosstandart, says laboratory tests found 0.16 grams of tannins per litre, while the technical rules of the Eurasian customs union require at least 0.3 grams. Tannins come from the oak barrels during ageing and give the brandy part of its colour and taste. The agency says the drink therefore cannot be sold as brandy and that its label misleads buyers about the product. A Georgian brandy, “Pogreb Shio” 8-year-old, was banned for the same reason. No dangerous substances were reported.
Analysis
It is not an isolated case: in September Belarus banned another brandy from the same producer, the 8-year-old “Yerevan 2800”, after a 6-year-old brandy from the Shahnazaryan house. The decisions target specific brands, not Armenian brandy as a whole. They still highlight how much quality and labelling checks matter for an industry whose key markets remain in the Eurasian Economic Union.
Possible consequences
The bottles concerned must be taken off Belarusian shelves, and the conformity documents for “Arame” have been cancelled.
