When was the last time you felt adventurous? Or something, somewhere, unfamiliar intrigued you so much that at that moment you were ready to pack your bags, book a flight and explore it to the fullest….AAAAND enter COVID-19. Frankly, this year hasn’t gone according to plan, the restrictions weren’t exactly helpful for a travel schedule either. Thankfully, though, there are other ways to get the world closer.
“Georgian wine is as colourful as my country!”
Her Excellency The Ambassador of Georgia to the United Kingdom
Very recently, we had our second online wine-tasting event opened by Her Excellency The Ambassador of Georgia to the United Kingdom, Sophie Katsarava MBE. Madam Ambassador’s word of choice while describing Georgian wine was “colourful”- which couldn’t be more true considering Georgia’s fame for amber orange-coloured wine and 8000 years of wine history alone. However, it is no secret that the awareness about Georgia’s finest is still in the growth phase.
Sarah Abbott MW, the head of Georgian Wine UK and Swirl Wine Group explains when she visited Georgia the first time 8 years ago, she was unaware of the richness of the culture.
“There are so many things about the culture of Georgia which are kind of familiar….wine soaks every part of Georgian life…it’s in their symbolism, in their culture. They have a way of enjoying wine in a very unpretentious way. No one in Georgia is afraid of wine.”
Sarah Abbott MW
Thankfully, Sarah is currently amongst the pioneers when it comes to uniting Georgian culture with the UK which is a good sign in terms of increasing awareness towards Georgian culture on international platforms. Certainly, the figures substantiate the claim: Georgian wine alone is exported to 53 countries, wine export to the UK increasing by 50% despite Covid-19. Georgia’s distinctive wine-making ways with the qvevri, are being adopted by wine-makers globally as the “return to what’s natural” becomes more of a trend.
We talked about some good progress here, but it certainly is just the beginning! We, as gvino UK, started our business with the mindset very much in relation to this cultural integration.
We take pride in doing our part in bringing Georgian culture to an international platform, starting from the UK as of now. There is a 50% growth in the Georgian wine export to the UK- in the upcoming year our mission will continue to be sharing Georgia’s invaluable cultural treasures with as many Brits as we can! Stay hooked.