24 Oct 2009
Georgian wine flourishes under Russian embargo
This was by far the most fun I’ve had reporting so far, and doing the article inspired a couple of other ideas for stories on Georgian wine so keep tuning in!
Georgians stomp grapes at a harvest celebration in Telavi in Eastern Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia | When Russia boycotted Georgian wine in 2006, Georgia lost 80 percent of its export market for wine overnight. Now, Georgian winemakers look back at the ban as a blessing in disguise.
Grapes dangle from the balconies of Sighnaghi, a picturesque town in the Kakheti region of Georgia.
Wine is a central element in Georgian culture, and for hundreds of years, Georgia was the primary supplier of wine to the Russian and Soviet empires. Owing to massive demand and Soviet production quotas, the volume of Georgian wine production soared while quality plummeted.
But, according to Shota Kobelia, commercial director of Georgian wine producer Teliani Valley, when relations between the Kremlin and Georgia’s pro-Western government soured to the point of an embargo, many winemakers saw an opportunity.
Gela Patalishvili, co-owner of Pheasant's Tears winery, stands in front of purple sludge dumped from the bottom of amphora -- large clay pots used to ferment wine in.
“Sure, the ban hurt us because we lost our biggest customer. But during this time there was no competition. Now we have an opportunity to sell to more-profitable markets, and we have been pushed to create a much better product,” Mr. Kobelia said.