Russia pulls some US wines from sale

Russia's consumer protection agency said Monday that some wines from the US state of California have been removed from sale, amid the worse tensions between Moscow and Washington in decades.

The country's consumer watchdog said it found "regulation violations" in wines from three California producers.

Tests showed "elevated phthalate content" or "bifenazate pesticide in concentrations higher than the established norm" in some wines from makers Geyser Peak Winery, Crane Lake Cellars and Delicato Family Vineyards, a statement by the watchdog said.

"Shipments of said US alcohol products that do not comply with current legislation have been removed from the market," it said, without elaborating.

Bifezanate is used for pest control while phthalate is a substance used in plastics manufacturing.

Russia's consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor regularly points up violations in products from countries with which Moscow is engaged in diplomatic rows.

The United States and European Union have imposed biting sanctions against Russia over Moscow's meddling in Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are waging a brutal insurgency.

In response, Russia has slapped an embargo on most food imported from the West, though alcohol has not yet been included on the list.

Russia banned wines from neighbouring Georgia in 2006 amid tensions between Moscow and the pro-Western Georgian leadership at the time, only lifting the ban in 2013 after a new government was elected in the country.