Georgian Wines Arrive in U.S. Supermarkets in April
When Russia imposed an embargo on the import of Georgian wines in March 2006, the country lost its traditional and most important export market, where roughly 89 percent of Georgian wines exported were sold. In response, Georgian wine producers mobilized to diversify their product and penetrate new export markets in the West, primarily the European Union (EU) and the U.S.
In order to support Georgian wineries, USAID’s AgVANTAGE project organized several important outreach events. In July 2007, with co-financing from the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, AgVANTAGE supported the participation of six of Georgia’s leading wineries at the Fancy Food Show in New York. The exhibition was a unique opportunity for the companies to gain exposure in a prime wine import market and, to date, represented the largest presentation of Georgian agricultural products in the U.S.
The fruit of these efforts is the development of a partnership between Whole Food Markets, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, and two wineries in Kakheti, Georgia’s premiere wine-growing region – Vinoterra and Tsinandali Old Cellar. The first large-scale export of Georgian wines, totaling 10,500 bottles from both companies and worth USD 48,000, was bottled and shipped in April 2008 to Seattle, WA. Both wineries plan to ship 30,000 bottles of wine, for a combined value of USD 130,000, to the U.S. this year. At a press conference to celebrate this partnership, U.S. Ambassador John Tefft commented, “I am happy that U.S. citizens will also have the chance to taste high-quality Georgian wines.”
AgVANTAGE continues to assist Georgian wineries, through participation in the Wine, Spirits and Beer Event of the National Restaurant Association Show to be held in Chicago in May 2008. This event represents an integral part of AgVANTAGE's strategy to increase and stimulate Georgian wine exports to the U.S. Says Eldar Mildiani, the owner of Tsinandali Old Cellar, of AgVANTAGE’s latest effort, “This [event] is a great relief because we used to be focused on the Russian market and found ourselves in a very difficult situation after the economic embargo was imposed.”
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U.S. Ambassador John F. Tefft and USAID/Caucasus Mission Director Robert Wilson observed preparation for the first large-scale export of Georgian wines to the U.S.
Photo Credit: AgVANTAGE |
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