Tasting of Georgian wines from kvevri was held in Japan

Tasting of Georgian wines was held in Tokyo as part of the “Double World Heritage” event.

The main concept was the combination of Georgian wine with traditional Japanese cuisine “vashoku”. Experts assessed the drinks that are already on sale in the Japanese market, reports the Georgian National Wine Agency.

The event was organized by the contractor of the National Wine Agency, the director of the marketing company Red Bridge, the master of wine Kenichi Ohashi and the famous Japanese sommelier Saturu Mori. The presentation was attended by the Ambassador of Georgia to Japan Teimuraz Lezhava.

According to an interview hold by Red Bridge, Japanese consumers are particularly interested in qvevri wines, a traditional method of making wine in large buried earthen jars. Since 2013, the production of wine in qvevri has been recognized as a UNESCO cultural heritage site.

The oldest kvevri found on the territory of Georgia was located on Mount Khrami. Its age dates back to about the 6th century BC.

For many years Japan has been a strategically important market for Georgia – exceptionally expensive premium quality wines are supplied there.

According to the National Wine Agency, up to 200,000 bottles of wine were exported from Georgia to Japan in 2020. And from January to April 2021, 64 thousand bottles have already been exported to this country.