Singapore & China Host Georgian Wine Festival

Singapore and Chinese cities Shanghai and Hong-Kong hosted the Georgian Wine Festival August 28- September 1. It was attended by local wine importers, masters, representatives of media, restaurants and hotel chains.

The festival was organized by Debra Meiburg, Master of Wine and head of the Georgian National Wine Agency (NWA) contractor company Meiburg Wine Media. Meiburg assessed the festival as successful, especially in Singapore, where Georgian wine tasting was organized for the first time in such a format.

“Both during and after the festival, the majority of Singaporean importers expressed interest in Georgian wine,” Meiburg said, adding that she had presented 10 Georgian wines and their pairing with five local meals at the tasting.

In China, Meiburg arranged a tasting and seminar on Georgian wines in Shanghai and Hong-Kong.

“Georgian wine is well-known in Hong Kong but the presence of wine-makers and wine companies at the event was the key to success in the market,” she said. “This is a place of relationships; people met, tasted the wine and then had the confidence to move forward with it”.

Meiburg said Georgian wine is particularly popular in Shanghai.

“In my opinion, Georgian wines, such as Saperavi, and the special technology used in Georgian wine production perfectly correspond to this market. I cannot wait to see what's next for Georgia in China,” she added.

Chief specialist of the Marketing and Public Relations Department of the NWA, Giorgi Sikharulidze, stated that Georgian wine tasting held during the festival in Asia had made a great impression on local wine professionals.

“The tendencies and demands of the Asian local market have opened up to the Georgian side, giving us the opportunity to move ahead with the right strategic planning and realization of Georgian wine on South-East Asian market,” he stated.

Thea Morrison