Russian thirst sees Georgian wine exports soar

Georgian wine exports grew by 56% in the first two months of 2016 compared with the same time last year, with over half of the country’s wine shipments going to Russia.

Georgia is famous for its use of qvevri pots in winemaking (Photo: Wiki)

Russia snapped up as much as 2,559,795 bottles of Georgian wine in January and February alone, over half of the 4,531,556 that Georgia exported.

The country’s appetite for Georgian wine is growing strongly, as it imported more than twice as much as it did in the same period last year.

Georgian exports to Russia grew by 154%, the country’s National Wine Agency reports.

The growth comes just three years after Russia lifted its ban on Georgian wine imports after diplomatic tensions between the countries began to thaw.

The value of the Georgia’s exports in the two-month period was US$10.75 million,  27% higher than the same time last year.

Its next most popular markets were Ukraine (792,651 75cl bottles), Kazakhstan (337,582 bottles), Poland (322,038 bottles) and China (219,349 bottles).

Georgia is thought to be home to the world’s oldest winemaking regions, and is famous for its use of qvevri clay pots used in the fermentation process.

The UN recently recognised the symbolic qvevri, displaying one in the grounds of its Geneva headquarters.