(Wine-Searcher) - Russia retaliates for Western sanctions by picking on California wines.

Three US wines have been removed from the shelves of Russian wine stores after an apparently political intervention by authorities there.

Russia's consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has banned three different California wines in the latest incident involving allegedly poor food quality from nations that have criticized Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict.

On Monday, Rospotrebnadzor banned Gnarly Head Chardonnay, produced by Delicato Family Vineyards, Geyser Peak Merlot from Sonoma and Crane Lake Moscato, produced by Crane Lake Cellars. The watchdog's investigation showed excess levels of phthalic acid and pesticides in the wines, according to the Moscow Times.

"Phthalic acid … can cause functional and organic changes in the central and peripheral nerve system … also oncological illnesses and fertility problems in men and women," Rospotrebnadzor said in its report, adding that the wine had been removed from the market.

This is not the first time that Rospotrebnadzor has targeted US-produced drinks. In August last year, the watchdog found phtalates in 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon, produced by the Barton 1792 Distillery. Later that same month, benzyl benzoate, which is used as a pesticide, was detected in Jack Daniels Honey Liqueur in Russia's Sverdlovsk region.

Over the past few months, Rospotrebnadzor has been actively imposing bans on food from Western countries, in what some observers see as a politically motivated move targeted at imports from countries that slapped sanctions on Russia over its support for separatists in Ukraine.

Last week, Rospotrebnadzor announced a ban on a brand of canned fish from Poland while, earlier this month, Russia added Albania, Montenegro, Liechtenstein and Iceland to a list of countries from which it has banned most food imports. That decision that followed a decree signed on July 29 to destroy all banned food confiscated at Russia's borders. As of August 8, more than 8000 metric tons of vegetables and 39 metric tons of animal products had been steamrolled.

The wine ban comes amid tough times for Russian wine lovers. Importers there have been forced to cut imports sharply, with a 44 percent decline this year. The collapse of the ruble is as much to blame as economic sanctions, with the free-falling currency contributing to retail price increases of as much as 50 percent.