January 2017: Georgia exports over 4m bottles of wine to 26 countries

Georgia exported almost 4.3 million bottles of wine to 26 countries in January 2017, bringing in $8.8 million to the economy.

Revenue increased by 141 percent in comparison to January of 2016, while the volume of exports increased by 184 percent, said the Georgian National Wine Agency.

The top five countries that imported Georgian wine in January 2017 were:

1. Russia – 2,861,471 bottles
2. Ukraine – 402,858bottles
3. China – 372,440 bottles
4. Poland – 156,302 bottles
5. Kazakhstan – 106,284 bottles

Wine exports also increased to the European Union (EU), to China and other traditional export markets for Georgia, said the Georgian National Wine Agency.

Last month exports of Georgian wine to the following countries increased by:

• China – 725 percent (372,440 bottles)
• Estonia – 250 percent (48,432 bottles)
• Russia – 198 percent (2,861,471 bottles)
• Kyrgyzstan – 186 percent (38,700 bottles)
• Kazakhstan – 164 percent (106,284 bottles)
• United Kingdom – 113 percent (14,328 bottles)
• Ukraine – 102 percent (402,858 bottles)
• United States – 100 percent (32,940 bottles)
• Latvia – 84 percent (61,128 bottles)
• Poland – 37 percent (156,302 bottles)
• Lithuania – 21 percent (54,228 bottles)

Meanwhile, Georgia exported 896,986 bottles of Georgia-made brandy to eight countries in January 2017. This was a 59 percent increase year-over-year (y/y).

So far this year Georgia has generated $2.25 million from the sale of brandy abroad.

In total, Georgia has sold $21.7 million worth of alcoholic beverages in January 2017, including wine, brandy, chacha and others – a 229 percent y/y increase.