Visit of the UK Wine Professionals in Georgia
UK master of wine, Head of the National Win Agency contractor company “Swirl Wine Group” - Sarah Abbott has visited Georgia with a group of wine professionals.
During the tour, sommeliers, restaurateurs, importers and media representatives have visited Georgian wine producer companies and small cellars: “Orgo”, “Shumi Winery”, “Kakhetian Wine Cellar”, “Kakha Tchotiashvili Cellar”, “Babaneuris Marani” and “Lagvinari”, where they tasted wines of different range and got acquainted with the Georgian winemaking technology.
According to Sarah Abbott, interest towards Georgian wine in the UK is progressive.
“Our guests want to see and experience the full range of Georgian wine, so we are visiting smaller producers specialized in Qvevri, right through to the producers like “Shumi” where we are now, as well as some of the bigger producers with a wide range that can meet all different market demands. We've met with the winery owners and winemakers, they've been very open with us and shared a lot of information, we've tasted some really good wines, and also we've experienced the fabulous hospitality and spirit of Georgia, which leaves nobody untouched” - noted Sarah Abbott.
According to the major winemaker of “Kakhetian Wine Cellar” Temur Gonjishvili, Qvevri wine made a special impression on the guests.
“The visitors have expressed high interest towards Georgian wine – they had specific questions, they were interested in everything about Georgian wine. They were specially impressed by the Qvevri wine. I really want that every time Georgian wine is spoken about, it should be associated with the high quality. Our job is exactly the quality control, that was proved today” - mentioned Temur Gonjilashvili.
At the end of the tour, the guests visited the experimental base of the Scientific Research Center of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture in Jigaura, where they saw the wide range of local grapes and tasted wines of rare Georgian varieties.
The National Wine Agency has been working with the Marketing Company "Swirl Wine Group" since 2017. The introduction of Georgian wine to the UK professionals is important for the promotion of Georgian wine and export potential, as it is one of the largest importer and wine consumer in the world. According to the data of 5 months of the current year, 45,2 thousand bottles of wine has been exported from Georgia to the UK, which is 109% higher than the similar data of the last year.