Polish Wine Academy teaches Georgian wine history

Wine lovers in Poland and especially those interested in ancient winemaking methods will soon be able to learn about Georgian wine and its rich history.

A new subject was added to the curriculum of the Wine Academy of Poland, enabling its students to learn about Georgian wine history and culture. Georgia is regarded as the cradle of wine, with evidence showing wine was cultivated over 8,000 years ago.

Georgia’s Agriculture Ministry and the viticulture and wine-making development fund of Poland (Galicja Vitis) signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) yesterday in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The MoC aimed to promote Georgian wine in Poland with various marketing and educational activities.

Poland is one of our important markets and generally, Georgian wine has a great potential in this country, and even more so whe wine tourism is progressing every year in Poland,” said head of the Georgian National Wine Agency Giorgi Samanishvili.

The Wine Agency will provide the Wine Academy of Poland with information about Georgian wine and advertisement materials that are necessary for lectures.

Samanishvili hoped the MoC would help increase the popularity and further increase exports of Georgian wine to Poland.

Polish wine enthusiasts visit wine cellars in Georgia's Kakheti wine region. Photo by Wines of Georgia. 

Polish wine writer and oenologist Wojciech Bosak, who is a representative of Galicja Vitis, said Georgian wine was very popular in Poland and there was a wide range of Georgian wines available in Polish shops, restaurants and wine houses.

Georgia is becoming a more and more popular destination for Polish tourists, wine tourists, for people who are interested in visiting vine-yards, wineries, and meeting with wine producers, and of course tasting wines,” Bosak said.

The goal of our small foundation for development and promotion of viticulture is to educate people about wine, inform wine producers and also consumers or lovers of wine. We will introduce Georgian wine to the students of our professional wine school-academy”, he added.

He said there was great interest in Georgian wine in Poland and several winemakers had started to produce wine using Kakhetian technology and methods.

Of course the result is not as spectacular as original Kakhetian wines but it's the first step,” said Bosak.

Poland is an important importer of Georgian wine. Over 1.6 million bottles of wine was exported to Poland in the first six months of 2016. This was a 47 percent increase year-on-year, said the Georgian National Wine Agency.