China launches Georgian wine e-commerce platform

Dugladze Wine Company will be the first winery to be listed on E-SilkRoad, China’s first online sales channel specifically for Georgian wine.

The agreement signed between Dugladze Wine Company and the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce © Hvino

Georgia’s Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili and representatives from Dugladze Wine Company signed the agreement in Shanghai at a promotional event, The Summer of Georgian Wine last week.

The agreement will see the launch of the E-SilkRoad website which will sell exclusively Georgian wine to China, which is currently Georgia’s third largest wine importers, according to Georgia’s Ministry of Economy.

Dugladze Wine Company, founded in 2004, will initially export 300,000 bottles of wine, and more Georgian wineries are expected to sign up to E-SilkRoad which is supported by the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce, an international non-governmental organisation that aims to “promote the renaissance” of the historic Silk Road trade route.

Georgia’s fortuitous placement in the Caucasus Mountains is midway between Europe and Asia, and Georgian wineries hope to capitalize on its strategic positioning to infiltrate the China market.

In recent months, Georgia has opened several ‘Wine Houses’ in China to raise awareness of Georgian wine and a new Georgian Wine National Corner will be opened in Shanghai’s free economic zone soon which will allocate a 200 square metre space dedicated to promoting Georgian wine and its traditional methods of wine making.

This year China moved from fourth to third place as the largest importer of Georgian wine, following Russia and Ukraine.

Between January and June 2016, more than 1.9 million bottles of Georgian wine were exported to China; a 148% increase than the same time in 2015.