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STATUS QUO

in city centres could be in the doldrums for For more information,
a little longer, with delays in workers retur- visit: The IWSR Future of
ning to offices, permanent shifts in working the Global Ready-to-Drink
arrangements and a decline in international Alcohol Market Strategic
tourism continuing to dampen their perfor- Study. ƅ
mance.
Anna Godabrelidze
First Lady of wines from Georgia at the foot of the Caucasus.
Anna is Georgian Wine School owner and director. Chairwoman
of State Testing Commission at National Wine Agency. Chef
of Georgian delegations to OIV. Director of Viticulture and
Winemaking of Agricultural University of Georgia.
Popular entertainer, author, ancor and producer of TV Show
„All about wine with Anna Godabrelidze“ at Rustavi 2 TV.

TO THE ROOTS

Somewhere at the foot of the Caucasus, it all
started.
Awareness of the Georgian wine has been
quietly growing in recent years. This interest
is mainly attracted by 8000 years of continu-
ous history and traditions of winemaking,
the phenomenon of qvevri (clay vessel used
for fermentation and storage of wine), amber
wine (long-macerated white wine) and over
500 indigenous grape varieties. But after 8000
years of winegrowing is Georgia experiencing
the worst moments.
The traditional Georgian method of making
wine in qvevries was awarded the status of In-
tangible Cultural Heritage Site by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in 2013, which indica-
tes the uniqueness of this method and sends
a message to the world that this wine is part of which restored several forgotten Georgian in-
ancient Georgian culture. digenous grape varieties and proliferated the
The interest in qvevri amber wine and Geor- wine styles.
gian natural wine encouraged the develop- It started inconspicuously. 2019 was a succes-
ment of wine tourism, which paved the way sful year for Georgian wine industry in terms
to the popping up of small family wineries, of export volumes and tourism exposure. Also
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