Georgian UK wine exports continue to rise

By Lisa Riley

Published: 20 November, 2020

Georgian wine exports to the UK continued to rise in the last year, albeit from a small platform, trebling in volume and exceeding £754,000 in value.

In the year to October 2020, Georgian wine exports to the UK jumped 243% in volume terms to 366,486 bottles, up from from 106,855 bottles in the same period last year, according to the the latest data from the National Wine Agency.

The continued growth follows the National Wine Agency of Georgia having invested in a UK promotional programme for three years, which has prompted a series of new importers.

“Despite a very challenging year, we are reaping the rewards, said Sarah Abbott MW, whose company, Swirl, runs the UK campaign on behalf of the National Wine Agency.

“Our activity has focussed on raising awareness of Georgia’s wine quality, heritage and appeal, and helping the trade to feel confident in adding Georgian wine to their portfolios and promoting it to their customers,” she said.

In the last 12 months, four national agencies have added Georgian wines to their portfolio including Amathus with Dugladze, Berkmann with Tbilvino, Boutinot with Teliani, and Hallgarten with Vachnadziani, with “many small and specialist importers also continuing to champion the artisanal side of Georgian wine”, added Abbott.

However, she said, there was still a lot of “unsigned talent” in Georgia.

“We look forward to establishing the category even more strongly in the UK and note that both qvevri (specialist amphora) and classically made wines are doing well here.”

In light of Covid-19, Swirl adapted its promotional campaign to include a series of webinars and virtual tastings, which Abbott said had all been fully booked, showing the “huge appetite for learning about Georgian wine”.

In April, the National Wine Agency announced that Georgian wine exports to the UK jumped 317% in volume terms in the first three months of 2020.

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