History
Two young entrepreneurs, Maxim Kashirin and Anatoly Korneev, decide to merge forces and create a wine trading company.
In the future, Simple Group will be on a par with the best importers and distributors of wine in Europe. For the first five years,
Italian wines were the first to join our collection.
Simple Group begins to import wines from
Translated from Greek, it means "The country of wine"
First of all, Enotria students are those who plan to start a career in the wine business or improve their qualification. The main course of the school is designed for two semesters and contains all the necessary knowledge for a professional sommelier. Enotria is the only school in Russia whose program is approved by the International Sommelier Association (ASI).
Simple Group professionals conduct master classes, tastings and courses on individual subjects and topics for wine lovers who have already found themselves in other areas. You can find out more about provided activities of the Enotria school on the website.
The same year Simple Group participated in the publication of the first professional book on winemaking in Italy «Italian Wines. The Second Italian Renaissance» by Anatoly Korneev.
On top of that, our company became the general partner of the Russian Sommelier Association and Anatoly Korneev became its vice president.
In 2000, Sandro Khatiashvili, one of the leading wine experts in Russia, joined our team.
His knowledge and energy helps a lot to create our French collection of wines.
From 2001 to 2004, Simple acquired exclusive rights to import wines from the famous French houses into Russia: Olivier Leflaive,
The Russian Sommelier Association with direct participation of Simple Group is now a member of the International Sommelier Association (ASI). International recognition confirmed the high professional level of the Russian association.
In 2003–2005, Simple Group was included in the group of leaders on the Russian wine market and continues to replenish the collection of brands.
First wines from Spanish producers, Pingus, Vega Sicilia and Alvaro Palacios wines appear in the Simple Group’s collection. Simple receives exclusive import rights to sell unique wines from Germany (Gunderloch), from Italy (Frescobaldi, Tenuta San Guido, Ceretto) and fromFrance (Marc Kreydenweiss,
The first Grand Cru winery were opened at Leningradsky Prospekt, d. 50. Wine lovers were able to buy wines which before could only be found in the best restaurants. Today, a whole network of wineries and wine bars is operating under the new name SimpleWine.
In 2004, the company celebrated a decade.
In the same year, Simple presented to the public a collection of wines from the New World. Then the company became an importer of professional Spiegelau glasses and an exclusive distributor of Voss water. The Simple Open festival was also held for the first time.
The company has created a «Vinopolis» division to work with the restaurant industry (HoReCa).
In 2005, rebranding of Simple was carried out.
A new head office was opened in Moscow and one representative office was opened in St. Petersburg.
In December, the first issue of Simple Wine News magazine was released. Nowadays Simple Wine News is published 8 times a year and distributed in major Russian cities. The publication is devoted to all aspects of winemaking, wine trade, culture of wine consumption, gastronomy and restaurant business.
In 2006, on Malaya Bronnaya 22, the first Grand Cru wine bar opened.
For many years«The Grand Cru wine restaurant has been a place for those who want and love to drink thoughtfully. The chamber, almost homely atmosphere is what I aspired to when creating the Grand Cru. If you want to be at the forefront of the wine world, you should definitely not miss any of the enogastronomic dinners held here. »
Maxim Kashirin, President, Simple Group of Companies
Also this year, Simple acquired exclusive rights to import wines Bouchard Père & Fils (Burgundy), Trimbach (Alsace) and Port Warre’s. Another important event of the year was the launch of the ambitious project «Simple Calendar»: wine under the gun of the most talented photographers in Russia and the world. The author of the idea was the CEO of Simple Maxim Kashirin. Works made for the calendar over the years now adorn the Simple office.
In 2008, Simple opened the sixth Grand Cru winery and became the official supplier of Frapin cognac house.
In the same year, Simple organize of the second International Sommelier Congress in Sochi.
Simple became the official supplier of Louis Roederer champagne, Hine cognac, CL World Brands, Henri Bourgeois.
The seventh Grand Cru winery opened in Moscow, and the first winery, the first wine bar and the branch of the Enotria school opened in St. Petersburg. Simple has created a new division, Simple Waters. Simple wines appeared in the business class of Aeroflot airlines.
Simple became the winner of the Aeroflot Runway Award in the category «Initiative of the Year»
The company’s portfolio include now wines of Domaine de l’Arlot, Clos de Tart, Hubert Lamy, as well as premium tequila. The formation of a sake portfolio begins.
At our invitation, Moscow was visited by Cristina Mariani May, a co-owner of Castello Banfi, as well as Louise and Chiara Soldati, owner of La Scolca farm. In the summer of 2010, the company became the sponsor of the Ball on the Grass, established by WWF, and in December the fourth charity dinner, White Truffle, was held.
Simple begin to import Blanton’s, Joseph Cartron liqueurs, Arir, Zafferano wine and bar accessories, and Orrefors Swedish glass and crystal products.
At our invitation, James Sackling, as well as Philippe Starck, Aurelien Valence (Château Margaux) and Kirsty McCallum (Burn Stewart Distillers) first visited Moscow.
The second Moscow Grand Cru wine bar has opened in Moscow City. The White Truffle charity project celebrated its fifth anniversary. ISimple, a mobile sommelier for iPhone, has been released on the App Store. Simple wines appeared in the economy class salons of the «Aeroflot» airline.
For the first time Simple makes a professional analysis of the Russian wine market with the presentation of it in the framework of Vinitaly in Verona for the Italian business community. The event becomes regular.
Simple organizes and conducts the first Russian Salon with a detailed analysis of the Russian wine and spirits market in Russia as part of the World Wine Symposium by Francois Moss, Villa d’Este, Como, Italia.
Also, the Simple Collection category has been formed in the Simple portfolio, which includes rare and valuable wines, as well as wines with cult status.
San Benedetto brand became the part of Simple range of products.
Simple receives exclusive rights to distribute San Benedetto Italian water brands in Russia.
The beginning of large-scale promotion and the first exclusive contracts with the Ginza and Probka groups in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Simple becomes the general sponsor of the Russian House at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Simple is involved in preparing for printing and publishing of the book Piedmont. Wines of Italy "Anatoly Korneev.
Simple launches its own brand — premium Onegin vodka.
The Grand Cru wine restaurant and SimpleWine bar in St. Petersburg receive 2 glasses each, from Wine Spectator.
As a result of rebranding, Grand Cru wineries change their name to SimpleWine and are heading for network expansion.
An international WSET course starts at the Enotria wine school (the second level, which later complements the third).
The company holds two significant events in new formats: Simple Congress for market professionals and Simple Wine Fest for consumers.
Glasses and decanters from the Austrian manufacturer Zalto appear in the company’s portfolio.
The loud premiere of SimpleWine & Bar on Neglinnaya with 1000 wines without restaurant margins, inventive appetizers for wine and original dishes for lunch and dinner from Adrian Ketglas.
The Grand Cru wine restaurant on Bronnaya received three caps from the international gastronomic guide Gault Millau and for the second consecutive year won the Two Glasses award from Wine Spectator.
4 SimpleWine wineries were opened in Moscow, 2 in St. Petersburg and 1 in Rostov-on-Don. The portfolio is replenished with the brands Darroze, Yaguara, Montelobos, Penfolds, Achaval Ferrer, Fetzer, Clarendelle, Nick Weis, La Porta di Vertine, Travaglini, Oremus, Nastl.
Maxim Kashirin and Anatoly Korneev have been ranked in the Wine Power Top-100 from the Italian edition of Chronache di Gusto.
The Simple range is have been exclusively presented at the Russian venues of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
3000 people came to listen to lectures, music and participate in master classes.
Simple opens a branch in Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, expanding its geographic presence.
Simple Congress, the 2nd annual conference of wine market professionals — was held at Lotte Hotel Moscow. For 550 participants, 12 speakers from around the world shared their views on the question «Price and value of wine», including: The Hide restaurant sommelier Piotr Pietras, Wine Intelligence co-founder and CEO Lully Halsted, and Vivino founder Heini Zaharyassen.
The company celebrates 25 years since its foundation.
The main wine event of the year, Simple Expo, was held in Moscow. 5,000 guests, 70 workshops, 10,000 open bottles of wine and digestifs, the personal presence of suppliers from 120 farms and distilleries from around the world is a unique phenomenon for Russia.
In June, the Simple group of companies restarted the web version of the Simple Wine News wine book series. On swn.ru, readers are waiting for revised and new headings designed not only for professionals, but also amateurs from wine connoisseurs to beginners to get acquainted with the world of wine.
In honor of its 25th anniversary, Simple has released a limited edition of the collection photo book Simple Wine + Art based on the art calendar of the same name, previously available only to select clients and partners.
The third Simple Congress took place in Ritz-Carlton, where 600 wine market professionals from all over the country could listen live to the speeches of eminent international experts: Dominic Simington (Portugal), Jamie Goode (Great Britain) and Allen Meadows (USA), Richard Paterson ( Scotland), David Allen (New Zealand), Maureen Downey (USA) and Simple Vice President Anatoly Korneev. The main theme is People Changing the World of Wine.
The new SimpleWine & Kitchen restaurant opens at Depot. Semyon Nutels headed the kitchen, and Adrian Ketglass became the brand-chef according to tradition.
Simple assimilates a new format for itself and opens a Simple Bar in the gastro space of the Cheryomushki market: a bar without food, but with wine hits, high-profile novelties and signature cocktails.
The launch of SimpleWine Privé, a premium wine service for customers with special status, where the highest expectations are embodied in the best conditions and unique advantages.
Simple presents the first Russian documentary about wine, Wine Reflections.
Openings
Launch of two new SimpleWIne wineries in Moscow: in the Evropeyskiy shopping and entertainment center and Atrium shopping and entertainment center. The gastronomic restaurant and bar Ray opened its doors on Neglinnaya street (Moscow) in the summer 2020. Red Point Izakaya bar on the territory of the DEPO food mall opened at the end of the year.
Awards
Simple Expo 2019: received awards in 4 Eventex Awards nominations, recognized as the best business event of the BEMA award! (Best Experience Marketing Awards), won bronze at Silver Mercury in the Best Execution Events of B2C nomination. The Simple Gala jubilee dinner for partners and clients of the company became the «Event of the Year» in the category «Jubilee of the Company of the Year» of the BEMA! Award. More than thirty names from the Simple Group portfolio were included in the annual rating of the best wines of the Apennine Peninsula according to Gambero Rosso. Two of them were awarded the title of Best Red Wine and Best Merlot in Italy 2021. Thirteen wines from the Simple portfolio were included in the annual ranking of the hundred best wines in the world by James Suckling. Among them — Treinta y Dos Pinot Noir 2018 from Bodega Chacra (Argentina, Patagonia), which scored one hundred points and was recognized as the wine of the year. Six wines from the Simple portfolio are among the top 100 wine discoveries of 2020 according to The Wine Advocate.
Events
Simple Trophy 2020 (June 2020) is one of the largest blind tasting competitions. More than two hundred sommeliers, cavists and bloggers from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Crimea took part in an online competition to determine the variety, year, region and cost of wine «blindly». The course «Fundamentals of Marketing and Management of Alcoholic Beverages» from the Enotria Wine School (September 2020) is the first and only course on this topic in Russia, developed and conducted with the participation of Anatoly Korneev, Simple Group co-founder and Vice President, and Yulia Vershinskaya, Simple Group Marketing Director.
Portfolio
The Simple portfolio has been replenished with wine from the young Tuscan estate Bertinga, whose Volta di Bertinga was recognized as the best merlot of 2021, according to the rating of the most authoritative wine guide in Italy, Gambero Rosso. With the launch of the Big Russian Wine project, the Simple range has been replenished with products from some of the best domestic producers: the Sikory estate, Lefkadia and Markoth Manor. The iconic European brands Egly-Ouriet, Domaine Georges Roumier, Hudelot Noëllat, Arnoux-Lachaux, Fourrier, Giacomo Conterno are now represented in the Simple Collection. The line of spirits has expanded. Limited editions of Deanston, Ledaig, Bunnahabhain, Nikka and Michter’s appeared in the Simple portfolio. The premium Tamdhu Scotch tape from the iconic Scottish Speyside region is a welcome novelty. The line of Calvados has been replenished. Hine and Frapin also presented new items. Angostura bitter and Crystal Head vodka from Canada have become a striking addition to the portfolio of spirits.
«Aesthetics, functionality and modernity are the three „pillars“ of the new office design. I believe that right aesthetics teaches employees to set up a high level of work the company expects from them. At the same time, there should be no prevalence of design — the office should be functional today and in 5–10 years, which means being contemporary. — said Maxim Kashirin, the president of Simple Group. — Honestly, I put my soul in that project. Today our office perfectly meets the values and spirit of our company.»
On March 8, 2021, Simple Group and Aeroflot organized the first gastronomic flight in Russia. The flight gathered more than 200 passengers on board of the only one A350 airliner in Eastern Europe, named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Simple’s experts provided passengers with the tasting of 18 wines and 2 gins. Tasting was accompanied by run of the «Wine Reflections» movie made by Anatoly Korneev, co-founder of Simple Group.
Moreover, Simple presents the «Wines of Highlands» project, which is an authentic collection of wines with the national character and color of two countries: Armenia and Georgia. This is a range of premium and rare wines that combine centuries-old traditions and new production technologies.
New wine stores.
SimpleWine wine stores are now open in Sochi, Yekaterinburg and Tyumen — new Russian regions for retail network. Moreover, Simple Group introduces new democratic format of SimpleWine wine stores.
Opening of a new regional branch in Samara.
Active development of Simple Art project — corporate collection of contemporary art in Simple Group’s head office.
