Georgian wine export 2015: 36m bottles sold, $98.1m earned

Georgia has exported 36,071,399 bottles of wine to 46 countries in 2015, generating $98.1 million USD.

Export figures released by Georgia’s National Wine Agency revealed last year Georgian wine gained popularity in strategically important markets such as China, the European Union (EU) and United States (US), said local wine experts.

The Georgian National Wine Agency reported China was one of the most strategically important markets for Georgia, where wine exports had increased by 122 percent. Last year Georgia exported 2,672,154 bottles of wine to China.

The taste of Georgian wine was also being enjoyed all over the EU:

• Poland – 1,600,302 bottles (three percent increase);
• Lithuania – 658,666 bottles (four percent increase);
• Estonia – 506,124 bottles (54 percent increase);
• The Netherlands – 51,432 bottles (58 percent increase); 
• France – 37,956 bottles (190 percent increase); and
• Denmark – 34,840 bottles (100 percent).

The most demanded Georgian wines in 2015 were Kindzmarauli, Mukuzani and Tsinandali. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Other strategically important markets were:

• US – 248,075 bottles (31 percent increase);
• Canada – 157,836 bottles (48 percent increase);
• Japan – 138,290 bottles (five percent increase);
• Kyrgyzstan – 185,514 bottles (79 percent increase);
• Israel – 35,820 bottles (48 percent increase); and
• Korea – 24,054 bottles (37 percent increase).

Which wines were mostly exported from Georgia?

Most of the Georgian wines exported in 2015 were red semi-sweet wine Kindzmarauli (5,114,901 bottles), red dry wine Mukuzani (1,827,248 bottles) and white dry wine Tsinandali (1,343,232 bottles).

Among the most demanded wines also were red semi-sweet wine Akhasheni (651,348 bottles) and red semi-sweet wine Khvantchkara (348,416 bottles).

Georgia’s top export markets

The five countries that imported the most Georgian wine so far this year were Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China and Poland: 

• Russia -18,308,177 bottles;
• Kazakhstan - 5,195,949 bottles;
• Ukraine - 3,412,453 bottles;
• China - 2,672,154 bottles; and
• Poland - 1,600,302 bottles.

Georgian wine export decreased

In general Georgia exported 39 percent less wine between in 2015 than the previous year, which the Agency said was due to the ongoing political-economic events in the region.

Wine exports decreased in Georgia’s two main export countries – Russia, where we see a 51 percent decrease and Ukraine, where wine exports dropped by 56 percent,” said the Agency.

Other alcoholic beverages

Last year Georgia exported 7,266,755 bottles of brandy to 21 countries worth of $18.6 million USD, and 118,890 bottles of Chacha to 21 countries worth $466,300USD.

So far last year Georgia earned about $146.5 million USD from exported alcoholic beverages abroad.