Chinese Agriculture Minister enjoys Georgian wine tour

The Agriculture Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Han Changfu, spent an enjoyable day delighting his taste buds in Georgia’s famous wine region Kakheti during his official visit to Georgia.

Changfu arrived in Georgia yesterday to meet Georgia’s Agriculture Minister Otar Danelia and discuss a joint agricultural project.

Today Changfu and a Chinese delegation visited the Alaverdi Monastery complex where they visited a wine cellar and saw beekeeping activities.

Monastery Wine is a millennium brand of the Alaverdi Monastery Cellar made by the Alaverdi Monastery congregate in an 11th century cellar. The wine is produced by an endemic variety of Kakhetian vine in unique clay vessel – qvevri – that is traditional to Georgia. The Alaverdi Royal Monastery is historically known for its qvevris and cellar.

The guests also visited the facility that produced Badagoni wine and the Gvirabi tourist complex.

Additionally, the Chinese guests visited a local farming family in Tsinandali village. There, Changfu saw a 135-year-old grape vine that has been growing in this family.

The local family offered the Chinese Agriculture Minister a taste of their homemade Georgian wine, which he sampled from a traditional Georgian drinking horn vessel.

Acording to the latest data revealed by the Georgia's National Wine Agency, from January to April 2015, China also experienced an 87 percent increase in its import of Georgian wine. 

In recent times Georgia has made an effort to penetrate the Asian wine market, and results were now becoming evident, said the Agency. This could further be backed up as exports of Georgian wine increased by 9 percent to Japan so far this year.