Looking back on this year
Despite challenging conditions, Georgian wine continues to penetrate the UK market. Over 100 indies are now offering at least one Georgian wine. National retailer Majestic Wine and national online retailer Naked Wine have also added Georgian wine to their portfolio.
The expansion in national retail availability is partly due to major agency houses adding Georgian wine to their portfolio. The latest is Liberty Wine, whose Bedoba Saperavi is made by a Franco-Georgian team and arrived in the UK in September. This bright, pure red is made partly in qvevri, and partly in contemporary fermenting vessels and is already listed by leading indies.
Boutinot Wines, who started working with Teliani Valley in 2020, have expanded their Georgian wine range to eight in 2022. Teliani report that their UK sales have grown by more than 300% in value over those three years (year to date, Q3 2022). While the biggest volume seller is Kakhuri No. 8, a modern amber wine made in stainless steel, premium reds from Saperavi are the biggest sellers by value.
Hallgarten & Novum list 7 wines from Vachnadziani; fresh dry whites from Georgia’s autochthonous grapes are popular with indie buyers. Brand manager Melissa Worrall says “Sales of our Georgian wine are good, [and are] being enthusiastically embraced by a few key accounts.”
Italian specialist Astrum Wine added the wines of Tiko Estate to their portfolio in Spring 2022, with Amber Kisi selling out rapidly from the first shipment.
Specialist Georgian wine importers are also behind the growing penetration of Georgian wine in the UK market. Italian/Georgian specialist Gardabani Group reports success with ultra-premium producers Château Svanidze, whose wines are now listed in top destination wine store, Hedonism London.
A full listing of importers and growing list of retail stockists is available at georgianwine.uk.
For the first time, the National Wine Agency of Georgia collaborated with International Wine and Spirits Challenge (IWSC) to host IWSC-Georgia in Tbilisi. An expert panel of Georgian and International wine judges assessed 500 Georgian wines and awarded a record number of Gold medals, one of them to Tiko Estate Saperavi, newly available in the UK.
And forward to next
A London Trade Tasting, participation in SITT, virtual trade tastings, two trade trips to Georgia, and a stand at London Wine Fair are some of the activities planned for 2023 to promote Georgian wine in the UK. For the first time a consumer Georgian wine fair will be held in 2023.
For further information on the Georgian wine importers, stockists and promotional support, please contact us.