Georgia- Homeland of Wine Project Presented in Japan
Wine represents one of the paramount parts of the diverse and colorful culture of Georgia, and has strongly established itself locally, as well as in multiple countries of Europe. Georgia has even been recognized as the ‘cradle’ of wine. The taste of fine Georgian wine mesmerizes wine enthusiasts all over the world and even attracts dozens of travelers to Georgia who seek to discover the roots of Georgian viniculture and see the vineyards sprawled throughout the different regions of the country.
Georgia is now presenting its wines to a wide audience in one of the most developed, dynamic and prospective countries, Japan, within the scope of the new project ‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine’. The given project is expected to blaze a path for Georgian wine through Asia and contribute to its promotion across the region.
The exhibition was launched on March 10 at the huge exhibition center of Terrada Warehouse in Tokyo, Japan. However, the Grand Opening ceremony took place on March 15, seeing the government delegation of Georgia, multiple wine companies, representatives of the media sector and other involved parties participating in the celebration. The event will last until May 7.
GT spoke exclusively to David Tkemaladze, the Deputy Chair of the National Wine Agency of Georgia.
"The exhibition is just one part of the project, within which we display unique vessels of the National Museum collection, representing the integration of wine in our life from the Neolithic era to modernity.
"The project is ever-changing and we aim to present unique elements for each country," he said. "In Japan, it is eclectic and full of modern elements, especially so as it is held in a loft-style venue with novelties offered by our partner, Sony Communication Company. Further, in 2017, in Bordeaux, we placed a Qvevri (wine vessel), representing multiple messages, in front of the ultra-modern building. We're doing the same in Tokyo, but the unique feature in this is case is that the Tokyo Qvevri was made using the Japanese Kintsugi technique, the art of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.”
‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine’ not only represents a chance for Georgian wine degustation as, through multiple activities including thematic film-shows, talks about Georgian history and cuisine, folklore performances, master-classes on a Georgian ‘Supra’ (feast), art and culture, seminars of global experts of wine and, of course, tastings of Georgian wine and food, but also offers visitors a unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the 8,000-year history of Georgian viniculture and ancient methods of winemaking.
“One of the most important aims of this project is to establish new communications through new channels and carry significant political and economic messages to the target countries, based on culture, which Georgia can present in the very best way," Tkemaladze told us. “In April, the Cultural department of Georgia will hold a presentation ‘Georgia – a Wine Route’, about the traditions of Georgia in terms of viniculture, the concept of toasts and the toastmaster, and many other themes.”
“This exhibition presents the history and the culture of the world’s oldest Georgian wine, sometimes referred to as the 'Tears of Cleopatra',” reads the organizer’s preview.
A special website georgia-homelandofwine.com has been launched especially for the event, which will serve as a guide for potential visitors of the exhibition and provide all useful information regarding Georgian winemaking history and the details of the event. The website is bilingual: Japanese and English.
The financial and technical partner of the project, Sony Communications Company, launched the ‘WarpSquare’ initiative, which, with the utilization of ultra-modern technologies and audiovisual capabilities, creates an authentic Georgian atmosphere in the venue and enables the attendees to travel to the homeland of winemaking through virtual interaction.
Aside from obtaining prominence and stimulating promotion of Georgian wine, the project is expected to have fruitful outcomes in the economic regard as it will allow Georgian wine enterprises to augment their sales locally, as well as abroad. The participants will have an opportunity to arrange meetings and negotiate future business with foreign companies. ‘Georgia-Homeland of Wine’ may also help the development of tourism in Georgia by raising the interest of foreigners in Georgia, as more than 150,000 guests are expected to visit the exhibition.
Prior to the start of the ‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine’ project, Georgian wine had already succeeded in another major Japanese exposition, ‘Foodex Japan 2019’, which was held on March 5-8 and saw the Vaziani Winery from Georgia win the Diamond Trophy.
The project ‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine’ was first launched in 2017 at the Bordeaux Center for Wine and Civilizations in France, where Georgia held the status of Guest of Honor and which brought together multiple countries, expressing an interest in further collaboration with Georgia.
By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya