Depardieu to be face of Crimean wine?

French-turned-Russian actor (and “global wine expert”), Gerard Depardieu, is said to be in line to head a new wine agency in the Crimea.

The Russian parliament is apparently lobbying Sergei Aksyonov, prime minister of the recently annexed province, to set up a wine agency to help grow the Crimea’s fledgling industry.

Furthermore, they are calling for Depardieu – who has taken Russian citizenship to escape France’s tax system – to head up the agency calling him a “symbol” of “French charm” and “the Russian soul’s generosity”.

Igor Zotov, a Russian politician, has said: “It would be good for the region if Depardieu, a globally known expert on wine production, headed a state agency or a public organization of Crimean winemakers.

“This would attract the attention of the Russian and global public to Crimean wine, which not only isn’t inferior to products of the world’s best winemaking regions, in terms of quality, but is even superior to them in some respects.”

Depardieu owns vineyards in the Crimea but has yet to respond to the call.