The Georgian Wine Forum was held in the United States
The Georgian Wine Forum was held in Boston, organized by the American-Georgian Business Council, The National Wine Agency and Association “Georgian Wine”. The three-day program of the forum included "Saperavi and Qvevri Wine Festival", "Qvevri Symposium" and "Georgian Wine Tasting-Seminar for Businessmen" “.The first forum was held in Washington in November 2018, followed by great feedback from wine professionals. This year, the interest in the Georgian Wine Forum was also high in the scientific society, as well as wine professionals and media. Among other speakers at the “Qvevri Symposium”, there was Professor Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania, whose research led to scientific proof, that the world's first wine was made on the territory of Georgia 8,000 years ago. The "Qvevri Symposium” was attended by David Baqradze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the United States, who addressed the guests.
About 20 Georgian producers presented their products at the "Saperavi and Qvevri Wine Festival" held within the framework of the forum, alongside other Georgian wines on the final day of Georgian wine tasting, there were up to 30 winners of the International Qvevri Wine Competition held in Georgia this year.
According to forum participants, presenting Georgian wines in a similar format indicates that Georgia has not only an 8,000-year continuous history of winemaking, but also a modern, developed wine industry and a wide variety of top quality wines.
“The US is a strategic market for Georgian wines, where various important events, including the Georgian Wine Forum, are being held with the support of the National Wine Agency to promote Georgian wine and increase export. These events have already brought more sales and increased exports to this crucial market, ”said Levan Mekhuzla, chairman of the National Wine Agency, who delivered a report at the Qvevri Scientific Symposium on Contemporary Georgian Wine Industry and Georgian Wine Marketing Strategy on the International Markets.
In the first 9 months of this year, more than half a million bottles were exported from Georgia to the US, which is 60% up than the same period last year.