The quality of Georgian wines has increased substantially this year, said the jury of wine experts that rated numerous varieties at this year’s WinExpo.
WinExpo, organized by ExpoGeorgia, and running for its 16th year, seeks to connect Georgian winemakers with others in their field, producers of new wine technologies, the public, and those in the related business world. Each year, world-class experts are invited to assess the quality of Georgian wine in the Georgia International Wine Awards which has been ongoing for 14 years as a part of WinExpo.
CEO of ExpoGeorgia, Resan Kikava, said the competition is a good incentive for winemakers to participate, witness sectoral improvements, and to work towards getting Georgian wine to the level it deserves.
“It was an exceptional year in terms of the quality of wine and the number of wines presented,” said Kikava. “It’s more or less the same every year, between 200 and 250 [winemakers], but the quality has increased, and that’s the biggest success.”
Of the wineries that participated in the awards, Kikava said over 100 of them won silver medals, 40 got gold medals, and six received trophies. Any vineyard that participates in the festival can also opt to participate in the awards. Kikava explains that it’s difficult to go before a jury with homemade wine and watch an expert critique it, and he applauds those who do it.
Tim Atkin, a Master of Wine and chairman of the jury from the United Kingdom, always leads the jury. Kikava said the awards follow his methodology of how wine should be chosen. Everyone who participates in the jury must be familiar with Georgian wine, understand the qvevri winemaking process, the numerous grape varieties throughout the region, and recognize how Georgian wine differs from European wine. For this reason, it is vital to have Georgian participants on the jury who can discuss their experiences and opinions.
Any winery can participate in WinExpo, and there is a special space dedicated to smaller or family-owned businesses. Kikava said ExpoGeorgia shows its support for smaller vineyards and the sector’s development by allowing them to participate in the event free of charge. Liza Jgenti, the designer for Winery 12 Qvevri, a family-owned business, said it was their first year participating in a wine festival, and said it has been a great opportunity for them to expand into the field.
“It’s really important for marketing and for people to get to know you. After the festival, you’re invited to events by bigger organizations when they are doing stuff with wineries,” said Jgenti. “I love communication between people who love wine. We exchange information with our fellow businesspeople. We enjoy meeting people who love wine and giving them the chance to taste our product.”
Each year, WinExpo presents new wines and demonstrates the quality, success, and struggles winemakers endure in the industry. In addition to the wine tasting, there was a panel discussion comprised of exporters from around the world, among them representatives from Holland, Japan, and the UK, who presented their opinions about Georgian wine’s potential, and struggles in the local markets. Through such events, winemakers can learn how to address the problems and better adapt to the market.
According to Kikava, it can be difficult to integrate and export to foreign markets, since most Georgian winemakers have limited resources. Due to this, WinExpo also had a section dedicated to businesses and technology in the world of wine, including bottling, labeling, and products from different countries. This lets participants see different products and gain insights into new methods and tools they could adopt.
There are many supporters of the event, Kikava told GEORGIA TODAY, including the Ministry of Agriculture in Georgia and the Georgian National Wine Agency. He said these groups encourage winemakers to explore new markets and participate in exhibitions in Georgia and internationally.
Kikava said there is one critical step to selling wine in an international market: “It’s important to sell Georgia as an interesting country first, because when people are considering buying French wine, they look at France; the same with Italian wine, Chilean, or Australian wine – first they think about the country to understand where the wine comes from,” said Kikava. “You need to start with the fact that Georgia is the oldest winemaking country, with 8000 years of history making it!”
It is only in the last 20 years that Georgia’s wine market has started to grow. During Soviet times, wine could not be called ‘Georgian wine’. When Georgia became an independent state, winemakers started labeling and creating their own wine; however, these were primarily for the Russian market, and much of the wine was not bought because of its quality.
In 2006, the Russian political embargo on Georgian wine is what caused the quality of wines to subsequently increase and exports to Europe to begin, as wine producers sought new market destinations for their products. Kikava explained that the challenge now, since the Russian market has reopened, is keeping the quality of wines high so exports to Europe can continue, just in case Russia shuts its doors to Georgian winemakers again. Kikava told us he’s glad to see Georgian winemakers on the right path, focusing on the quality of their wine rather than the quantity.
“Wine is important because it’s not only about the product, but about the huge legacy that comes with it,” Kikava stated. “Just thinking about having the genes of the same people who were making wine here, on this land, 8000 years ago, makes me feel special. I believe it should make every Georgian feel special.”
The jurors of the event were: Tim Atkin (Master of Wine and Head of Jury – UK), Beth Willard (Wine Writer – Australia), Kenichi Ohashi (Wine and Japanese Sake Expert – Japan), Cong Cong Bo (Sommelier – UK), Chan Jun Park (Wine Writer and Educator – South Korea), Ana Martin Onzain (Oenologist – Spain), Levan Mekhuzla (Oenologist – Georgia), Mikheil Meskhi (Oenologist – Georgia), Anna Godabrelidze (Oenologist – Georgia), Giorgi Dakishvili (Chief Oenologist – Georgia).
ExpoGeorgia is a convention center in Tbilisi that organizes large industrial events. They create their events from scratch and manage them with the help of partners. Kikava said he is thankful to everyone who worked at ExpoGeorgia for establishing WinExpo. Specifics about the winners can be found on the WinExpo Facebook page.
By Shelbi R. Ankiewicz
