Georgian government helps producers find new markets

Georgian wine export revenues have reached record levels in 2021 as exports to Canada, Sweden, Szechia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have grown. But approximately 55% of their wine is exported to Russia, which allows Russia to use wine as an economic weapon as it did during the Russian embargo in 2006. The Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture approved a plan in September 2021 for its Wine Agency to help producers and distributors expand existing markets in the West and Asia. The government is seeking to encourage the expansion of their export capacity by improving processing, packaging, and shipping logistics. Prior to the embargo, Russia accounted for about a 75% share of exports, but Russia’s market share fell to zero in 2007, severely hampering Georgia’s wine industry. The embargo encouraged Georgian wine producers to improve the quality of their wines and focus more attention on marketing.