Export figures reveal the Georgian wine category maintains momentum in the U.S. market
New York, December 14, 2022 – Georgian wine exports to the U.S. have increased by 7.18% from 2021 to 2022, according to Wines of Georgia, the organization that represents and promotes the wines and wineries of the country of Georgia, and the National Wine Agency of Georgia, the legal entity of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia that finances the U.S. program. Export data reveals that Georgian wine exports to the U.S. have risen from 881,470 bottles in 2021 to 944,766 bottles in 2022, as recorded over a 10-month period.
The sustained growth of Georgian wine exports to the U.S. reflects the Georgian National Wine Agency’s prioritizing the U.S. as a key export market, and goal to achieve wider awareness of Georgian wine among American wine drinkers. Tamar Metreveli, Head of Marketing & PR at the Georgian National Wine Agency, says, “We are excited to witness the continued rise in Georgian wine exports to the U.S. With an audience of consumers who seek a diverse range of wine from diverse regions that offer different grape varieties and styles, the U.S. is a lucrative market for Georgian wine, and we are pleased to see our relationship with this audience strengthen further this year.”
There are more than 500 grape varieties indigenous to the country of Georgia. In 2022 the red grape, Saperavi, remained the leading variety with harvest yields increasing 10% to 89,655 tonnes from 81,552 tonnes yielded in 2021. The white grape variety, Rkatsiteli, persisted as the second most prominent variety harvested in 2022, as it was in 2021, with little changes from 139,707 tonnes picked in 2021 to 139,906 tonnes in 2022. Kakhuri Mtsvane and Kisi, two other white grape varieties, were the third and fourth highest yields of the 2022 harvest season, yielding 5,817 tonnes (up 16% from 2021’s 5,031 tonnes) and 2,463 tonnes (an increase of 43% from the 1,718 tonnes harvested in 2021), respectively.
“The focus of the Wines of Georgia campaign is to engage key media, trade, and influencers in the United States with Georgian wine and our country’s rich winemaking history and culture,” said Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the Georgian National Wine Agency. “With 8,000 vintages of winemaking tradition marked by unique qvevri winemaking technique and use of distinctive native varietals, Georgian wine continues to demonstrate excellent growth potential in the U.S.”
More About Wines of Georgia
The country of Georgia, located on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, where Europe meets the Middle East and Asia, has long been widely recognized as the birthplace of wine for generations. In 2015, archaeologists uncovered ancient qvevri vessels in the region that contained cultivated grape residue dating back to 6000 BCE, solidifying the belief that Georgians have been making wine for over 8,000 years. These findings further bolstered Georgia’s traditional winemaking legacy previously recognized by the United Nations when the organization added qvevri to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. In 2021, qvevri was the first non-food product to be granted the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation in Georgia.
Though the small country spans only 27,000 square miles, Georgia has an ideal climate and topography for winegrowing, with over one-third of its land covered by mountains, three major rivers (the Alazani, Iori, and Rioni) and hundreds of tributaries, and a variety of biomes. Home to over 500 native grape varieties, Georgia’s vineyards total nearly 55,000 hectares (nearly 136,000 acres) of land. As of 2020, there are 25 defined Protected Designation of Origin (PDOs), with wine produced using both traditional Georgian methods as well as European varieties and winemaking methods.
For more information, visit the Wines of Georgia website and follow on social media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
About Wines of Georgia
Wines of Georgia is a promotional campaign financed by the National Wine Agency of Georgia and wineries to educate the US wine trade and general public about the history, culture, quality and universal appeal of Georgian wines and the country’s qvevri winemaking tradition.
