First Wine, Now Russia Bans Georgia's Water

Russia has pulled the plug on a Georgian water that many regard as a perfect hangover cure in a nation known to like a tipple. Borjomi, with its relieving mix of minerals and salts, has been banned from Russian shops and restaurants - the latest victim in a trade war between the small Caucasus state and its giant neighbour.

Russia's chief sanitation official, Gennady Onishchenko, told Interfax news agency that the decision was due to the discovery of "lots of counterfeited water whose quality does not comply with what is written on the label or with sanitary and taste standards at all". He said two batches of the sparkling water had failed tests and he was banning imports.

Georgia's agricultural minister, Mikheil Svimonishvili, said the ban was political. "It's absolutely obvious that Russia is fighting against anything Georgian today," he told Interfax. "Borjomi is one of the best mineral waters in the world."

The ban comes weeks after Mr Onishchenko heavily restricted the import of Georgia's other key product, wine. At the time, he said the move was due to high levels of pesticides found in the drinks.

A Georgian official responded by saying that this ban was also politically motivated and that the Russian market was so full of low-quality counterfeit wines that even "fecal matter" would sell there. The two bans are having a severe impact on the economy of Georgia, which has been striving to reduce dependence on its former Soviet master.

Last weekend, it emerged that Tbilisi had asked Jennifer Lopez to promote Georgian wine abroad. But she turned down its $500,000 (£269,000) offer.