International qvevri wines tasting hosted by Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi

Amédée Mathier

30.03.2018 (Hvino News). Amédée Mathier - one of the best known pioneers of qvevri wine making outside Georgia - showcased his product along with other Georgian and foreign wines produced with the use of Georgian traditional method or other "qvevri-like" technologies, at a recent event hosted by Swiss Ambassador H.E. Lukas Beglinger in Tbilisi.

The wine tasting, organized at the Ambassador's residence, focused at the growing international popularity of Georgian winemaking method, and the need of clear definition of terms such as organic, natural, and traditional.

In his presentation, Mr. Mathier raised the question of the necessity of formalization of requirements and rules of qvevri wine production. He summarized qvevri experience at his family-owned winery in Salgesch, Switzerland, since first installation in 2009.

Georgian wine on show in Poland

28.03.2018 (Hvino News). One of the biggest shopping mall chains in Krakow (Poland) is hosting a Georgian wine testing event for people who are looking for specific products for the Easter table. Other activities aimed at promoting Georgian wine will be held throughout Poland, as this country represents one of the strategic markets for Georgian wine export.

The event in Krakow is held from March 22 until the end of month. It is organised by the Georgian National Wine Agency's contractor company Malinova LLC.

Poland is one of the largest importers of Georgian wine. Last year, 2,676,440 bottles of Georgian wine were exported to Poland, according to NWA.

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The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS

International Qvevri Wine Competition 2018

26.03.2018 (Hvino News). The 2nd International Qvevri Wine Competition will be held in Georgia on May 3-6, organized by the Georgian Wine Association with support of National Wine Agency.

According to organizers, the main purpose of the competition is "to introduce the best qvevri wine to the world, to encourage the production and consumption of qvevri wine, to increase awareness of qvevri wines produced in different countries".The competition is open exclusively to qvevri wine producers from all countries and wine regions in the world. Samples will be assessed by national and international judges.

The 1st International Qvevri Wine Competition was launched in September 2017 during the 4th International Qvevri Wine Symposium in Georgia.

Information about the competition is here. Registration Form is here.

© Hvino News

The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS

32 Georgian wine producers take part in China Food & Drink Fair in Chengdu

25.03.2018 (Hvino News). 32 Georgian wine companies have participated in the 98th China Food & Drinks Fair in Chengdu (CFDF), Sichuan Province, China, on March 22-24.

The following wine companies participated: Telavi Wine Cellar, Giuaani, Kakhuri, Vite Vera (Besini), Vinagora, Kakhetian Wine Cellar, Askaneli Brothers, BG Wines, Chelti, Tbilvino, Palavani, Kotekhi, Wine Man, Kimerioni, Shilda, Satavado,  Teliani Valley, Jimsher, Corporation Georgian Wine, Bolero and Co, Chateau Mukhrani, Winery Khareba, GWS, Batono, KTW, Maranuli, Georgian Wine House, Mosmieri, Corporation Kindzmarauli, Schuchmann Wines, Vaziani Company, Dugladze Wines and Spirits.

"Georgian wine companies have already participated in the exhibition for the fourth time and it is noteworthy that the number of participant companies is increasing annually. This year's exhibition was quite productive for Georgian wine producer companies. Some of them have already signed new agreements during the exhibition and some has started negotiations with potential importers, which is the main task of Georgian companies participating in this exhibition, " - said Tamta Kvelaidze from Georgia's National Wine Agency.

CFDF  is held since 1955 and regarded as the number one exhibition in China. CFDF is held every spring in Chengdu, and in the autumn in another selected city. As a leading Chinese trade fair in the wine industry, it had approximately 3,000 exhibitors and 300,000 buyers.

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The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS

25 Georgian wine producers took part in ProWein

25.03.2018 (Hvino News). 25 Georgian wine producers participated in ProWein wine fair in Duesseldorf, Germany, on March 18-20. The event is recognized as one of the most prestigious in the wine industry of Europe.

The following Georgian companies took part in ProWein:

Askaneli Brothers
Badagoni
Besini
Bolero & Company
Chigogidze Wines

Saperavi wines contest in Kiev

17.03.2018 (Hvino News). 16 Saperavi wines participated in recent competition of Saperavi wines in Kiev, Ukraine. The competition organized by Dmitriy Sidorenko School of Sommelier took place at Saperavi restaurant. Professional jury judged at the tasting. The table of results follows:

1 Duruji Valley Qvevri 2013, Ardatrading
2 Vismino 2014, MB Ukraine
3 Iberia Qvevri 2015, Gelati
4 Tamada 2014, MB Ukraine
5 Gelati Elite 2014, Gelati
6 Chateau Mukhrani 2014, MB Ukraine
7 Gelati 2015, Gelati
8 Agmarti, Ardatrading
9 Khareba, Khareba
10 Geo, Bayadera
11 Tbilvino 2016, Vinfort
12 Shabo 2015, Iland
13 Shumi, Ukrimport
14 Bugeuli 2015, Bugeuli
15 Aliko 2016, Bayadera
16 Badagoni 2017, Badagoni

© Hvino News

The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS

"Variety" reviews documentary on Georgian wine

14.03.2018 (Hvino News) A leading American film and entertainment trade magazine Variety has reviewed the new documentary on Georgian wine "Our Blood Is Wine", directed by Emily Railsback and featuring a Chicago sommelier Jeremy Quinn, who visit Georgia. Railsback and Quinn tour through various regions, sampling varietals while getting up-close-and-personal with the Georgian winemakers.

Variety's author Scott Tobias writes: "Documentary begins with what Quinn jokes is a child’s question: Where does wine come from? The answer takes him and Railsback to Georgia, where the winemaking process is so old that an archeologist points to Neolithic ceramics from 6,000 B.C... With iPhone in hand, Railsback and Jeremy Quinn, a Chicago sommelier, explore the 8,000-year-old roots of Georgian winemaking and celebrate its resilience under a host of outside threats".

Variety points out that documentary lacks a strong point of view: "Quinn’s experience as a sommelier should make him a natural tour guide, but he often hovers around the edges of the frame, graciously affirming the value of these wines but rarely asserting himself more forcefully. Though Railsback will occasionally raise her voice off camera, she doesn’t approach the subject with the rhetorical fire of a film like Jonathan Nossiter’s “Mondovino,” which used similar concerns about mass-scale winemaking as a platform to rail against cultural homogeneity. On matters of wine and culture, she is more appreciator than provocateur."

Qvevri wines at RAW WINE fair in London

Photo credit: @TasteOfGeorgiaUK

12.03.2018 (Hvino News). Georgian qvevri wine are be presented at the RAW WINE London, the artisan wine fair on March 11-12.

The organizer of the exhibition is Isabel Légeron, an internationally renown expert in natural winemaking.

8 Georgian winemakers  take part in the exhibition:

• Babaneuris Marani
• Ethno - Wine Art LLC
• Chateau Khashmi
• Nikalas Marani
• Gotsa Wines
• Tibaani
• Vellino
• Natenadze's Wine Cellar

Interview with Giorgi Salakaia: "Together we will defend Badagoni!"

exclusive

12.03.2018 (Hvino News).  Today Hvino News publishes an exclusive interview with Giorgi SALAKAIA, the owner and CEO of the Badagoni company.

Hvino News: Good afternoon, Mr. Giorgi. Thank you for answering our questions. Do you want to talk about the current situation around your company or, perhaps, about the prospects of Badagoni in the near future, after the difficult period is overcome?

Giorgi Salakaia: In today's reality, these are two interrelated themes. As a bolt from the blue, on February 7, the financial police unexpectedly entered the head office of our company in Tbilisi without any prior notification, and seized all financial and other documents, including electronic files and personal correspondence of our company employees who have no relation to the financial activities of Badagoni. Naturally, this action of the financial police, performed in a brutal style, had a negative impact both on the psychological state of our employees and on the overall state of Badagoni.

Hvino News: Why, in your view, did the situation immediately acquire such an acute form, instead of being regulated in a usual legal way?

Tamuka ARAVIASHVILI: I found WINTOUR to fulfil my dream

special guest

08.03.2018 (Hvino News).  On the International Women's Day our special guest is Tamuka ARAVIASHVILI, the only Georgian master student of Erasmus Mundus Wine Tourism Innovation (WINTOUR), who talks about opportunities for young people in Georgia in the sphere of wine tourism.  

Wine tourism is a growing industry, which can have a major impact on employment and identity of the regions in which it takes place. It is also becoming a significant element of the marketing strategy for many wine producers and their representative bodies. WINTOUR international Master program offers a truly integrated study that takes advantage of the tourism and oenology expertise of three universities and regions of Europe - Spain, France, and Portugal.

Hvino News: You are the first WINTOUR student from Georgia – how did get involved? 

Tamuka ARAVIASHVILI: I am Kakhetian girl from Georgia. Wine world is magical place and being there as a Georgian is privilege for me.  Because of my roots I had a strong connection with winemaking since childhood. I always participated in vineyard works, in harvest or winemaking process as it was part of my family’s lifestyle.  

After I graduated Bachelor in Tourism Management I started planning wine tours in Georgia. The main role on my decision to apply for WINTOUR played a press trip that I planned for journalist and wine expert Miquel Hudin. He was writing a guide book about Georgian wine.

Official: 2 months data of wine export in 2018

06.03.2018 (Hvino News). According to official data, in January - February 2018, 10,8 million bottles of wine were exported to 38 countries worldwide, that is 23% higher than the similar data of the last year. In total, 24,3 mn USD worth of wine was exported, that is 18% higher than last year.

Export growth is notable to the following countries: Japan 213% (44292), UK - 137% (36108), Estonia – 75% ( 88326), Israel - 58% (31272), Latvia - 43% (262110), Poland - 41% (441202), Netherlands - 32% (13491), Russia - 30% (7425286), Kazakhstan - 29% (501282), Germany - 27% (109834), Ukraine – 13%(972976), France - 9% (14036).

The top five importers are: Russia  (7 425 286), Ukraine  (972 976), China  (559 168), Kazakhstan  (501 282), Poland  (441 202).

As of the beginning of the year, 109 companies have exported various amounts of wine.In addition, 2,2 mn bottles (0,5 liters) of brandy and 29,8 thousand bottles of chacha have been exported in January.

© Hvino News

The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS

Badagoni temporarily suspends operation of Tbilisi headquarters

06.03.2018 (Hvino News). As Giorgi Salakaia, owner and founder of the Badagoni wine company, said at a press conference, the company headquarters in Tbilisi would be closed in the framework of crisis management regime. The company's management will temporarily move to Kakheti region, where two Badagoni's enterprises are located. Badagoni will continue to fulfill its obligations to Georgian and foreign contractors, stressed company's head.

According to the businessman, because of the "dirty information campaign" launched around Badagoni over the past week, the company lost two of the largest contractors. Mr. Salakaia said that he informed Georgian Prime Minister Georgi Kvirikashvili about the situation, and received from him a promise to study the issue and provide support. "I want to emphasize that from the side of the Prime Minister I felt full support towards the company and sincere desire to help, since this issue concerns not only Badagoni, but the entire country," Salakaia said. The businessman expressed his readiness "to solve all issues related to claims against the company judicially, as it happens in civilized and democratic countries."

Results of first Saperavi World Prize are in focus of international mass medias

02.03.2018. The results of first Saperavi World Prize organized by Hvino News are in the focus of many mass medias internationally. 

The recent media coverage of SapPrize included a television program in Georgia, as well as articles published in Australia, Georgia, Great Britain, India, Mexico, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, USA, and other countries. 

Full list of media coverage by countries is here, and screenshots are here.

"We're so excited we can justifiably say we are one of the best places outside of Georgia to grow this variety anywhere in the world, ” - an article in Australian newspaper quoted a participating winemaker Leeanne Puglisi from Ballandean Estate winery.

"Martin Cooper, owner of  Ridgemill Estate [a participating winery] said he was stoked when he heard the news. "We had to pinch ourselves,” he said. "It's pretty incredible to get a gold medal on a world platform,” Mr. Cooper said, as quoted by Australia's newspaper. "We've been growing Saperavi here for six or seven years and it's been doing well in shows but to win on an international stage in the home of Saperavi is pretty special".

"Riverland winemakers are well known for their adoption of alternative grape varieties... And now the South Australian region has won endorsement from a most unlikely source — Georgia. The country, at the intersection of Europe and Asia and which claims to be the birthplace of wine, held its inaugural international wine competition for wine made from the native Georgian grape Saperavi", - writes Alexandra Laskie from the Weekly Times.

Sakura 2018: Japanese female wine experts awarded 7 Georgian wines

02.03.2018 (Hvino News). “SAKURA” Japan Women’s Wine Awards 2018 became known.

Wines were selected after tasting in Japan which took place on 29-31 January. An international wine competition judged exclusively by Japanese female wine specialists awarded Georgian wines with one Double Gold, two Gold and four Silver medals.

Here are the winning Georgian wines:

Double Gold:

• Kindzmarauli Kisi 2016 

Gold:

• Makashvili Wine Cellar Mtsvane 2016
• Shalauri Wine Cellars Mtsvane 2015 

Winemaker Iago Bitarishvili to launch beer production

01.03.2018.Winemaker Iago Bitarishvili plans to launch beer production. The businessman has already arranged family brewery in the village of Chardakhi to popularize family beer production in Georgia like family wine cellars.

Beer production will be of less output, compared to wine production. The product will be exported to foreign markets, he said.

The businessman will apply Georgian cereals for beer production.

“Today everybody are proud that they use Belgian or other foreign malt in beer production, but we will use Georgian cereals. We have already searched several domestic varieties of barley in Khevsureti. We plan to restore them and then prepare malt”, Iago Bitarishvili said.

The businessman hopes that many other persons will follow his undertaking and a lot of family breweries will function in the country in 5-10 years.

Iago Bitarishvili launched bio wine production in 2005. The businessman exports wines to foreign markets and his wines are sold in many famous restaurants and hotels all over the world.

Source

The First Saperavi World Prize: RESULTS