Georgia to chair World Wine Trade Group

Georgia will chair the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) for the next 12 months and lead international wine industry experts in discussions relating to global wine trade issues.

The WWTG is an informal grouping of government and industry representatives from wine-producing countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Georgia, New Zealand, the United States and South Africa.

Georgia acquired the position after US at the annual WWTG meeting in Brussels on April 10 and 11. Georgia will hold this role for one year, from April 2014.

The WWTG aimed to share information and collaborate on a variety of international issues and endeavors to create new opportunities for trading wine.

Within the session it was also decided the next plenary session would be held in Tbilisi from August 25 to 27 this year.

Session participants discussed wine related issues including technical barriers in trade and pesticide limits. The meeting also served as an opportunity for bilateral discussions and trade agreements to be made between countries.

The Georgian delegation was led by Levan Davitashvili, who heads the National Wine Agency – a governmental body responsible for wine development in the country.

In the framework of the visit, US Ambassador to the European Union Anthony Gardner hosted a special welcoming ceremony for the session participants where he recounted the taste of Georgian wine, which he sampled years ago when he was studying in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Gardner became interested in the potential of exporting Georgian wine.

Click here to see the inforgaphics about Georgia’s wine industry, including its export potential.