Marani

That Crazy French Woman in Georgia

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:49:15 +0000

Diverse Brands but United in a Name

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:45:29 +0000

By Manana Vardiashvili

From now on, the Georgian government and local exporters will work together for the popularisation of Georgian wine abroad. After a year long consultation with wine-producing companies, Georgian government decided to create a Wine Association, where the government will pay 600,000 GEL membership fees annually. This money will be spent to facilitate Georgian wine increasing its visibility in the global wine-market.

To reach foreign markets, Georgian wine-producer companies will be obliged to unite under the common label – “Wines of Georgia” ,however, companies are allowed to leave other product attributes unchanged. The government believes that Georgian wine has greater export potential in the world market when being under a common umbrella. The companies welcomed the idea to bring the image of the country as a wine producing one to the first place.

Last year, the Georgian government announced a tender for the creation of a national wine strategy. It was advertised in ‘The Economist’ magazine, ostensibly to increase international participation. However, by this announcement the government actually showed its inability to solve the existing problems in this sphere. According to the conditions of the tender, which was conducted with the financial support of the World Bank, the winning company was supposed to present a strong plan for the development of wine industry, analysis of the existing situation in this field and strategies how to act on new markets. The winner became American company “I.O.S. Partners.” The idea to create one common brand for all Georgian wines, which would enable them become familiar for foreign customer, also belongs to this American company. According to analysts, in huge markets like EU, China or USA, separate small companies will not be able to present themselves as successfully as by joint efforts. To enter these markets, the company needs huge expenses for the advertisement.

Moreover, consumers generally prefer goods from the countries which they are familiar with: they need to know where this wine is coming from, what are the varieties of vines from which the wine was produced, etc. Most consumers are well acquainted with such a brand as ‘Cabernet Sauvignon,’ but have never heard about Georgian ‘Saperavi’ or ‘Tsinandali.’

The methodology of a common umbrella has been successfully used by African countries since the 1980s, when they started to export their wine to world markets.

Vasil Managadze, the head of the Vine and Wine Department (‘Samtrest’) at the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, said that creation of Association was dictated by the market demands. “Georgian wine is exported to different countries and we always face stiff competition there. We had to act accordingly because market dictated its rules to us. Many wine-producing countries have already created wine associations. Now it is our turn. Our wine-producers finally decided that to achieve some success we need to unite and work together. It means that local producers must see each other as a partner. Georgian wine-producer companies cannot penetrate the world market if they act individually. They won’t be able to find a decent place on the market by using only their own financial and human resources. When companies become members of the association they are able to use governmental financial support and joint forces to improve their results and present their products to the foreign markets under one brand name. We think that companies must consolidate their human and financial resources.” According to Managadze, the primary goal for the Georgian Wine Association right now is to enter the USA wine market. Georgia has already made plans to enter this market in 2011.

20% of the wine products, which are produced by the «Bagrationi 1882» company, are exported to Ukraine, USA, Germany and Turkey. Lika Kapanadze, the head of the PR department of the company says that «the popularity and image of the country helps a lot in product sales. Georgia is very popular and well known for its wine-production among the Post-Soviet countries, but Georgian wine is almost unknown for European and American customers. Due to this fact, first of all it is vitally important for Georgian wine-producers to create a good brand image and to introduce Georgia as wine-producing country. After that it will become much easier to offer our products to these new customers. That is why we expect only positive results from this idea of common umbrella. »

Exporting manager of ‘Teliani Valley,’ Eka Javakhia also believes that one of the main reasons for the low levels of Georgian wine export is a fact that people do not know about Georgia. «Europeans have no idea that Georgia is a wine-producer country. At the first stage we need to introduce our country to these people. European and American consumers must know that Georgia has very long history of vine and wine culture. If we won’t increase the level of public awareness among future consumers, Georgian wine will always face problems in getting to new markets. Chile and Australia used precisely this strategy and that is how they were able to create their own brand space in the world market. The consumers initially had no idea about small Australian wine companies, but they soon accepted Australia as a wine-producing country. After this preliminary stage, it is vitally important, that local wine-producers improve the quality of their products to make it adequate to the standards of particular market. »

Some analysts believe that cooperation of Georgian brands in order to increase their potential for export – will not really solve the problem. Many companies try to find their place in foreign markets by themselves and we have some successful examples. Specialists of this field do not argue the fact that Georgian wine has strong potential to get to the world market – what is most important is to present the new brand to the customer in the appropriate way. The most important thing is that wine-producers must harmonise the taste of the customers with the price policy of the product.

Wine production is one of the most important spheres of Georgian economic. In 2005, 78% of Georgian wine was exported to Russia. In 2006, when Russia announced economical embargo on Georgian goods, Georgian wine export has decreased from41 million US dollars (in 2006) to 29 million US dollars (in 2007). The wine export was shifted towards other CIS (mainly to Ukraine) and European countries (mainly Poland). But this shift could not completely compensate the losses, which Georgian wine export suffered from losing the lucrative Russian market. In 2007 Georgian wine export was only 36% of 2005 export level.

After Russian economic embargo, Georgian wine export was distributed among other CIS countries. According to official statistics data, right now the greatest part of Georgian wine export goes to Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. In Europe the biggest export volumes go to Latvia and Poland.

The most popular alcoholic drinks in Georgia are: wine vodka, liquor, and brandy. The main segment of wine-industry, about 65%, is semi-sweet wines; the rest 35% is dry wines. Georgian wine-producers mainly make dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet, sparkling and aromatised wines. According to the data of the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, there are 218 registered alcohol drink producer companies in Georgia. However, right now only 70% of these registered companies are operating on the market. At the same time only 35% of them are exporting their products abroad. The same source says that Georgian wine is exported to more than 40 countries.

The biggest Georgian wine-producer companies are: “Teliani Valley,” “Tbilvino,” “Tbilisi Wine Marani,” “Telavi Wine Marani,” Georgian Wine and Spirits Company” (GWS), “Taro,” “Vaziani,” “Shumi,” “Khareba,” “Kindzmarauli,” and “Tbilvazi.” The great majority of these companies are equipped with modern technologies and are mainly export-oriented. 90% of the wine, which is produced in Georgia, is for export, the local demand is only 10% of the total amount of wine. Georgia is producing approximately 1 million hectolitres of wine annually and it holds 0.3% shares of world market.

According to the ‘Samtrest’ information, during the first 7 months of 2010, 7,800,000 bottles of wine was sent for export. This amount is 48% more compare to the same data of previous year. The greatest part of this increase is due to the increasing demand of Ukraine, where 4 million bottles of Georgian wine have already been sold this year.

This year 25% increase has seen in Kazakhstan, Belarus, Poland and Latvia. In total, 2.5 million bottles were sold in these countries, which is 1/3 of whole Georgian wine export.

During these 7 months the export of Georgian wine has increase 5 times in Turkey. During this period 57,000 bottles of Georgian wine has been sold there in total.

©Georgian Times

Harvesting Grapes and the Crisis

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:19:01 +0000

By Manana Vardiashvili

The 2010 grapes’ harvesting has started with its traditional problems. And it seems the ways of solving these problems have remained traditional as well. In order to save Georgia vine-growing and wine-making industries, the government has decided to subsidize this field once again. The Georgian government tries its best reolve the crisis, which started right after the 2006 Russian economic embargo on Georgian products, by budgetary donations. Last year, just to finance the “promotion measures of harvesting grapes,” it was spent 21.5 million GEL from the state budget. This year, in order to conduct successful harvesting and to cover the losses from drought and hail storms, the government is going to spend 6.1 million GEL.

According to official statistics data for last 5 years, the biggest harvest of vines was obtained in 2007. That year the harvest was 227,000 tones of grapes. In 2006 it was 163,000 tones, in 2009 – 180,000 tones and the least productive was 2006, when it was harvested on 130,000 tones of grapes.

But this year it is expected to get only 100,000 tones in Kakheti region. 58,419 tones form this amount it expected to be “Rkatsiteli” (a variety of white grapes), 22,831 tones of “Saperavi” (a variety of red grapes), and only 4,335 tones of hybrid variety of grapes. The wine-maker factories buy one kilogram of “Saperavi” for 40 tetri and “Rkatsiteli” – for 30 tetri. Additionally to this price, the peasants will get 15 tetri for each kg of Rkatsiteli from the government, and 25 tetri for Saperavi. However, only those grapes that will be used for wine production will be subsidized by the government.

“There will be no long queues in front of the wine factories, because the process of harvesting is well coordinated. According to the government policies, 6.1 million GEL will be used from the Reserve Fund to subsidize “Grape Harvesting 2010”. The vine-growers will be able to get this money within three months after selling their products to the factories, while they will receive money from the wine-producers on the spot. Some wine-producers are ready even to accept a hybrid variety of grapes in their factories,” – said Georgian Minister of the Agriculture, Bakur Kvezereli.

According to the minister, about 20 wine-producing factories in Sighnaghi, Gurjaani, Telavi and Kvareli regions will buy grapes for wine making. Kvezereli promises, that this year not a single kilogram of grape will remain unsold.

The government explains the necessity of financial support to the vine-growers because of the existing crisis in this industry. After losing the Russian wine market, the wine-making factories faced huge losses in their business to the tune of about 100 million USD. Georgian wine-producers were unable to deal with the loss of such a big captive market and could do not much in order to diversify the ways of wine-exports. As a result, starting from 2006, the utilisation of the grapes and wine produced became the problem of Georgian Government. Part of wine-producing companies decided not to buy grapes from the population but to plant their own vineyards. The harvest, which they get from their own vine-plantations, was enough for them to produce the amount of wine, which they will be able to sell. Another part still has wine produced in previous years and they have not been able to sell it even now, so they have no money for modern production process and there is no space left for young wine in their store houses.

The vineyards hold approximately 43,000 Ha of land in Georgia. Vine-growing and wine-producing are the traditional spheres of economic activity in Georgia. The money which Kakhetian peasant used to get from the exploitation of these products was the main source of their income. In spite of the government subsidy, the great majority of peasants are still not happy with the situation.

“1 kilogram of “Saperavi” must cost at least 1 GEL. With 65 tetri I am still not able to cover all expenses. I buy pesticides and fuel for a very high price. Do you know that 1 kilogram of plum costs 1 lari in the market? Is there any justification for that? In 2008 I have already cut down a part of my vineyard. But that time the governmental officials told us: ‘you can not sell your product because it is a hybrid variety of grapes, you will always have problems with selling it to wine-producers.’ I kept “Saperavi” and it is not a hybrid variety, but it made no difference! I’ve made my decision. I am going to cut down the rest of my vineyard right at the end of harvest season,” – said Anzor Batiashvili, inhabitant of the village Sakobo in Kakheti region.

Part of analysts also criticise the prevailing governmental policy. The head of the “Agro-Development Group,” Nikoloz Zazashvili believes that subsidizing the vine harvesting is the easiest and the most expedient solution for the Georgian government with only short term poltical gains. He says that this kind of policy has nothing in common with the long-term development strategy for the industry

“The government does not have long-term policy how to develop the vine and wine field. Unfortunately, neither peasants nor wine-producers have any vision how to develop it too. This problem did not occur yesterday. It is already 4 years since Russia imposed its economic embargo on Georgian wine. The peasants did not work on product quality improvements and the wine-producer have not found new markets for their product. Georgian wine-producing companies still can not sell the wine, which they produced last year. Even though I try hard, I can not even remember a single success during last four years in this field. Till now we have no major brand, which is familiar for foreign consumers and which they would ask for if they did’nt see it on the shop shelves. All these facts talk about the big problems of fruit pricing and weak export policy of our wine-producers.”

According to official data, there are 218 wine and spirit producing companies registered in Georgia. Only 180 of them are still functioning and only 38 companies actually export their products. Georgia is presently exporting its wine to 30 countries; however the statistics on wine sales abroad is not really cheering.

“Georgian wine really has strong potential to enter the European market and to find its place there. But it needs strong and well structured export process and a good marketing policy as well. The government must work together with the farmers and producers in order to work out such a policy. But the government must not lead the process. All that is needed for official establishment of branding Georgian wine abroad is their support to vine-growers and wine-producers,” – said the head of the “Agro Development Group,” Nikoloz Zazashvili.

© The Georgian Times

EUGBC Seminar for Georgian businessmen

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:07:53 +0000

EU-Georgia Business Council (EUGBC) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, with the support of EUGBC Honorary Member Arve Thorvik, gave a seminar on “What the Georgian producers of alcoholic beverages should know to access Norwegian Market”. The seminar took place on September 9th, 2010, at the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.

The goal of the seminar was to inform Georgian producers of alcoholic beverages on specific issues in the Norwegian Market of alcoholic beverages.

The Minister of Agriculture of Georgia, Bakur Kvezereli opened the seminar and took part in its working session. The Minister thanked EUGBC for providing Georgian producers of alcoholic beverages with useful publications and for initiating a respective seminar.

During the seminar, EUGBC Secretary General, Konstantin Zaldastanishvili provided the participants with the information on the following subjects: Historical overview of Norway’s alcohol market; Specific issues of Alcoholic Beverage’s import to Norwegian Market; Role of Norwegian state monopoly; Statistical data and trends; Taxation on alcoholic beverages in Norway.

The Head of the Department of Vine and Wine "SAMTREST" of the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, Vasil Managadze, said that around 30 representatives of Georgian wine producer companies, as well as representatives of public institutions took part in the seminar.

The participants showed a strong interest towards the seminar topics, which resulted in a lively discussion and question and answer session.

© The Messenger

Georgian Archbishop takes top Masi prize

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:50:30 +0000

Archbishop Sergi Chekurishvili of Nekresi joins a long list of illustrious prize winners including UK wine writer Hugh Johnson, Napa legend Robert Mondavi and Emile Peynaud, the most renowned of the great Bordeaux oenologists.
The Masi committee said the unusual choice of the religious leader – whose diocese includes the wine region of Kakheti – was due to his support for the country’s beleagured winemakers.
Georgian Archbishop takes top Masi prize
A Georgian archbishop has been awarded the Masi International Wine Prize for his services to the country's wine industry.
A spokesperson for Masi told Decanter.com: 'In the difficult current political situation, where access to traditional markets is under embargo from the Russians, Metropolitan Sergi has acted to educate Georgian wine producers in their own traditions and to find modern technological solutions that will open up new global markets.
' This is a welcome boost for the Georgian wine industry after Russia, which accounted for 80% of its wine sales, banned Georgian wine imports in 2006.
Georgia, believed to be the birthplace of winemaking, also played host to the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) annual conference this year.
The Archbishop will receive the award at a ceremony on 25 September.

© Decanter

Wine from Georgia? It's a great story

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:55:05 +0000

By Elizabeth Downer

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I've got Georgia on my mind. No, not Hoagy Carmichael's muse in the song by that name. Nor the "Peach State," nor the Atlanta Falcons. It is Georgia, the independent country that formerly was part of the Soviet Union, that's captivated me. A country that has been cultivating vines and making wine for more than 7,000 years!

Carbon-dated petrified vitis vinefera grape pits have been found in neolithic sites in the Caucasus region. There is archeological evidence of irrigation canals, wine cellars, grape presses and clay jugs used for fermentation and storage dating back to the sixth century B.C. It's generally agreed to be the oldest wine-producing region in the world.

I was introduced to these wines when the Georgian ambassador to the United States visited Pittsburgh recently. At the reception for Ambassador Batu Kutelia, I met Mamuka Tsereteli, formerly a diplomat at the Georgian Embassy and currently a professor of International Studies at two Washington universities. Mr. Tsereteli imports wines from his native country.

I was especially surprised to learn that the wines we tasted are available at premium state stores in Pennsylvania and I was curious to know how that happened. The answer is simple. There is a sizable diaspora of Georgians in the Philadelphia region with a mighty thirst for products from their home. It is thanks to them that the whole state can taste these unique grape varieties. The wines also are available at many East Coast Whole Foods stores, in liquor stores in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, as well as on restaurant wine lists including Ruth's Chris Steak House in Washington.

For centuries, viticulture has been of great economic importance to Georgia. Today, there are more than 175,000 acres planted with grapes. Of the more than 500 varieties found in the country, only 37 are used for commercial wines. Saperavi and rkatsiteli are the two most widely planted. The fact that foreign consumers are not familiar with the country's traditional varieties complicates the export market.

During the Soviet period, top-quality Georgian wines were considered the finest produced within the union and commanded the highest prices. The Russians accounted for 80 percent of the export market but in 2006, Russia banned all imports of these wines, claiming that they contained high quantities of heavy metals and pesticides. Many feel that the reason more likely is political. Although the embargo was a painful economic blow to the Georgian wine industry, wineries have used it as a stimulus to modernize equipment, improve overall quality and seek other export markets. Today, their wines are sold in 23 countries.

Georgia is approximately the size of North Carolina with five viticultural zones. The largest is Kakheti in the southeastern part of the country, which grows 70 percent of the wine grapes. The country's total production is 60 million bottles.

The wines I tasted were all from Teliani Valley Winery, which uses totally modern techniques with temperature-controlled fermentation and some aging in small oak barrels. In 2004 the winery received help from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to convert to contemporary international standards -- their soul dates back 70 centuries. Another Georgian winery, Pheasant's Tears, is under the direction of an American from Richmond, Va. He is making wine according to ancient Georgian technique, fermenting only in clay amphora buried in the earth for aging.

Tsolikouri, 2007, Racha-Lechkhumi, Georgia

PLCB No. 22819, $10.99

Dry white made from native tsolikouri grapes. Light amber color with aromas of grapefruit, apples and pears. Lively acidity means it pairs well with spicy food. (Georgian food is spicy and frequently contains walnuts.)

Teli, 2007, Kakheti, Georgia

PLCB No. 22818, $11.99

Dry white made from native grape mtsvane. It was fermented in oak, adding complexity, creamy texture and intensity. Serve with seafood and white meats.

Mukuzani 2006, Kakheti, Georgia

PLCB No. 22816, $13.99

100 percent saperavi grapes from the Mukuzani vineyard along the Alazani River. Ripe berries, cassis and plum aromas with hints of black pepper and a touch of oak (aged 12 months in oak). It will pair with meats, casseroles, pastas and hard cheese. This is the first Georgian wine to be rated by the Wine Spectator. It was awarded 88 points.

Saparavi Unfiltered, 2007, Kakheti, Georgia

PLCB No. 22817, $17.99

Slightly higher in alcohol than the previous wine, it is also made from saperavi grapes and has the same characteristic aromas of black cherries and cassis and ends with impressions of cedar and vanilla. There is chewiness in the body and a definite rusticity. It was aged in oak for six months. Serve with steaks, lamb or pork.

Kindzmarauli 2007, Kakheti, Georgia

PLCB No. 14122, $15.49

Another saperavi grape, this one is semi-sweet with 38 grams of residual sugar. Kindzmarauli is the name of the vineyard. Aromas of plums and wild berries with a touch of rose petals and violets. A perfect dessert wine with fruit, cakes or cheese and walnuts.

While getting off the beaten wine path, you can add three new grape varieties to your lexicon: tsolikouri, mtsvane and saperavi. All make for great dinner party conversation.

After studying a bit of Georgia's history and reading about the rugged mountains, the Black Sea resorts, a capital city that is 1,500 years old, and seeing pictures of the medieval churches scattered around the country, I think I shall make it my next vacation destination. To learn more, you can visit georgianwinehouse.com.

Georgian Wine Problems

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:57:57 +0000

By Messenger Staff

In 2009 Georgia exported almost 10.1 million bottles of wine, but that was 10 percent less than in 2008. In 2009 Georgia exported more than 4 million bottles to Ukraine, to Kazakhstan more than 1 million and to Belarus 623 thousand bottles. Recently Ukraine has become the biggest importer of Georgian wines, consuming almost 42 percent of Georgian wine exports. Despite this, compared with the 2008 figures, there is a decrease in Georgian wine exports. According to some analysts the major reason for this decrease is the price, which is too expensive. A bottle of Italian or French wine for mass consumption costs around EUR 2.5, whereas the same type of Georgian wine is EUR 3.5. Following Ukraine's entry to the World Trade Organisation, the import of Georgian wine to Ukraine has lost its customs duty preferences. Another reason could be the almost non-existent marketing support from the Georgian government. It is well known that one of the priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture should be helping sales of Georgian products in the world market by advertising and promoting them to the populace as well negotiating on a governmental level.
Since 2006, when Russia imposed its ban on the import of Georgian wines, the Georgian government has promised to diversify the markets and facilitate the marketing of Georgian wines in Europe and the US. We even remember President Saakashvili appointing his friend and Minister of Defence, Irakli Okruashvili as the person in charge of promoting Georgian wines abroad. During its best years, Georgia was exporting around 60 million bottles of wine annually.

© The Messenger

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - California (5)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:47:12 +0000

Episode Five - San Francisco Bay Area : Zinfandel

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - California (4)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:46:31 +0000

Episode Four - Santa Cruz County: artisan wineries, corporate wineries

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (1)

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - California (3)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:44:49 +0000

Episode Three- Monterey County: Chardonnay

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Georgia to hold National Wine Competition

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:51:01 +0000

Georgia will hold third national contest of wine "Georgia - birthplace of wine May 6-7. The Georgian Commerce Chamber and Foundation of the history of wine and the National Museum of Georgia are the organizers of the event. The competition will have a few nominations: white wine, dry, red, red, sweet, sweet, etc., and judge will consist of experts from UK, Sweden and Holland. Winners will be awarded the gold and silver medals and special prizes. The event will hold wine tasting. The competition will also cover sparkling wines, brandy and chacha.

© TREND News Agency

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - California (2)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:31:41 +0000

Episode two - Paso Robles: terroir

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - California (1)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:30:35 +0000

Episode one - Santa Barbara County: Pinot noir

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Georgian Wine on CNN

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:15:35 +0000

Ancient Region, New Discover

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:34:48 +0000

Teliani Valley Mukuzani Kakheti 2006

Thomas Matthews

One of the things I love most about wine is discovering new ones. Georgia, in eastern Europe, is considered to be the original source of Vitis vinifera, the grapevine family that yields all the world’s great wines. Today, the country tends about 150,000 acres of vineyards and grows nearly 500 indigenous grape varieties. However, not much Georgian wine reaches the United States, which is a shame, because this red is distinctive and delicious.
Teliani Valley is located in the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia, home to 70 percent of the country’s vineyards. Though it’s a modern company with a new winery, its roots date back to the 19th century, with patronage by the Russian tsar and technical advice from Bordeaux.
This bottling is from the Mukuzani subregion, made from the Saperavi variety and aged in oak for 13 months. I found it medium-bodied, with moderate tannins supporting black plum and leafy notes accented by licorice and smoke. A bit lean, but with a racy energy that gave it real character. It costs about $15; I rated it 88 points, non-blind.

© Wine Spectator Online

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (5)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:17:15 +0000

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Episode five

On arriving in the north-eastern corner of France, in Champagne, James and Oz were shown how to blend wines in the headquarters of the House of Krug, by Rémi Krug himself. Next, they’re off to meet an independent champagne producer, the Compte Audoin de Dampierre. And of course James is more interested in looking at the Count’s vintage Aston Martin than tasting the vintage champagne!

Eating with the enemy: why Russia loves Georgian food

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:39:44 +0000

Despite diplomatic strains, Muscovites can't get enough of their neighbour's cuisine. Shaun Walker reports

At the newly opened Café Khachapuri, just off Pushkin Square right in the heart of Moscow, young Muscovites tuck into plates of coriander-infused chakhokhbili chicken stew, spicy lobio beans and the eponymous khachapuri – gooey cheesy bread.

None of these exotic Georgian dishes tastes like the bland indigenous Russian food, and nor do their consonant-heavy names roll off the Slavic tongue easily. But everyone knows exactly what they're ordering. Georgian food, perhaps the tastiest and most exciting of cuisines in all the former Soviet countries, has long been popular in Russia, and as new restaurants spring up across the capital, its popularity is going from strength to strength.

In these cheerful surroundings there are only small hints as to the bitterness of relations between Russia and its small neighbour to the south, which led to the two countries fighting a bitter war in the summer of 2008. The first is the wine list. Going for a Georgian meal is somewhat equivalent in the Russian popular psyche to "going for an Indian" in Britain, except that instead of washing the food down with five pints of Cobra, the standard etiquette is to knock back glasses of sweet Georgian wine. Georgia prides itself as being the birthplace of wine, and in Soviet times citizens from Vilnius to Vladivostok would enjoy the luxury of uncorking a bottle of sweet Georgian red.

But on Café Khachapuri's menu there is no mention of Tsinandali, Mukuzani, or any of the other tasty Georgian wine varieties that diners might order if they were eating the same food at one of Tbilisi's outdoor cafés. There's not even Kvanchkara, the sickly sweet red that brings back memories of the Soviet times for Russians. Ever since 2006, Georgian wine and mineral water has been banned in Russia, ostensibly due to safety regulations, but in reality due to thinly disguised political concerns.

But the ban on Georgian wine, which had a devastating effect on the Georgian economy, has not stopped Russians' love for the country's cuisine, even if they have to settle for French or Chilean wine to go with it.

"Everybody in Moscow loves Georgian food," says Tina Kandelaki, a Georgian who is one of Russia's leading television presenters and a strong critic of Georgia's government. "All the best parties in Moscow these days end with Georgian dancing and Georgian food."

Part of this is down to the continued presence of a huge Georgian diaspora in Russia. A spokeswoman for the Union of Georgians in Russia estimated that there are between 1 million and 1.5 million ethnic Georgians living in the country. Many of these are well-settled professionals – the chief cardiologist of Moscow, the city's most famous sculptor and a whole host of media personalities are all Georgian – while others are part of the legion of migrant labourers from former Soviet lands who come to Russia because salaries are higher than in their home countries.

In 2006, during a crisis between the two countries that preceded the war, Russian authorities were accused of organising a modern-day pogrom against Georgians and Georgian interests. Georgian restaurants were raided, schools were told to check for pupils with Georgian surnames, and many Georgians living in the Russian capital were deported. Now, however, the Union of Georgians in Russia claim there are "no problems at all" for Georgians in the country. "The number of Georgian restaurants is a good sign of how Georgians in Russia are thriving. There are so many in Moscow it's impossible to count them," said the Union's spokeswoman. One Moscow listings website has details of 261 Georgian restaurants in the capital.

Governmental relations between Russia and Georgia have never recovered from the 2008 war, which saw a Georgian incursion into a breakaway zone repulsed by a Russian counter-offensive. As a result of the conflict, Russia recognised South Ossetia, and Georgia's other breakaway state of Abkhazia, as independent nations. Meanwhile, the Russian leadership has declared the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, a "political corpse", and has said there will be no contact between the two governments while he remains in power.

In recent weeks, two prominent Georgian opposition leaders have travelled to Moscow for talks aimed at improving the climate of vitriol between the two countries. Nino Burjanadze, formerly one of Mr Saakashvili's closest allies but now a bitter opponent, was in the Russian capital last week, and even held a televised meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Zurab Nogaideli, a former prime minister who is also now in opposition to the government, arrived in Moscow last night for a second visit in the space of a few months, saying that he wanted to resolve trade issues with the Russian authorities.

Supporters of Mr Saakashvili, who is due to remain in power until 2013, say that this is little short of a deliberate attempt by Russia to destabilise the political situation in Georgia.

"How you can talk to Putin when his forces are occupying parts of our country?" asked Alexander Rondeli, a leading Georgian political analyst. "It's a very clever idea from the Russians but I don't think the population will buy it; they will see them as traitors."

The vitriol continues to fly from both sides, with Georgians accusing Mr Putin of being a bully and a war criminal, and Russians accusing Mr Saakashvili of being an unstable madman who started the 2008 war due to his own recklessness.

But with all trade and air links between Russia and Georgia cut, no contact except insults between the governments, and the television channels in each country churning out propaganda about the other, Georgian restaurants in Russia go from strength to strength.

"The terrible relations between Russia and Georgia haven't affected Russians' love for Georgian food," says Ms Kandelaki. "In fact, since the war, people are eating it more and more. You can love Georgian food without loving Saakashvili. It's too tasty to give up just because of one person."

Recipe: Georgian chicken stew

Chakhokhbili, a Georgian chicken stew, is increasingly popular in Moscow. To make it for a hungry group of six:

*Take 1kg of diced chicken. Dry it with paper towels, and fry it with 2-3 sliced onions for about ten minutes on a medium heat.

*Add 4-5 chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, whole black pepper, lemon juice, garlic and dry chilli. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

*Add 2-3 teaspoons of khmeli suneli, a Georgian spice mix available in speciality shops. Stir and leave on a low heat for five minutes.

*Stir and remove from heat. Add coriander, basil and tarragon. Leave for 5-10 minutes and serve with soft cheese, flat bread and red wine.

Thrill or Swill? Georgian on My Mind!

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:31:54 +0000

By Dave Nelson

Less well-known than the other ancient cradles of wine-drinking, Georgia is home to the earliest archaeological evidence of intentional cultivation of grapes to produce wine. Whether the region truly is "the" birthplace of viticulture, the inhabitants of this small mountainous nation (about the size of Louisiana) nestled in between Russia and Turkey, have been making wine for a long time. As in, about 8,000 years.

Georgia is an iconoclastic and fiercely independent nation. Its language is linguistically unrelated to any other in the world, and its history is full of stories of courageous rebellion against much larger nations. Similarly, its wine comes in hundreds of styles (many of them sweeter than what's currently fashionable) and is made from unique indigenous varieties.

Today we fire up a dry red made from the saperavi grape, one of the few Georgian varieties that's made into wine all on its own, rather than being blended with other grapes.

2006 Kindzmarauli Saperavi, Kakheti, Georgia ($13 - Global Foods Market)

The color is dark ruby, the aroma not particularly pleasant. There's ripe fruit in there somewhere, but it's nearly obliterated by a sharp, sappy greenness. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but the smell is reminiscent of a less-than-ripe chambourcin from Missouri.) Some odd vinyl odor pokes its way through, too.

Unfortunately, it's even less pleasant to taste. Again, there's fruit flavor, but it quickly disassembles into a strange combination of harsh acidity, rough tannin and accidentally inhaled hair spray.

The bottle shows no signs of being damaged in transit; it's likely this is just a crappy wine.

The verdict: Swill

Saperavi is indigenous to the Kakheti region of Georgia from whence today's wine came. It's the most important of the Georgian red grapes in part because it is a teinturier grape, i.e., it has red flesh as well as red skin. (Most "red" wine grapes are white inside, so all of the color comes from soaking the skins in the juice.)

Teinturier grapes -- alicante bouschet is the variety most commonly found in both California and France -- darken the color of wine substantially, even in small doses. Saperavi is rare in that it's made into a varietal wine all on its own. If today's wine is truly representative, it might be the case that saperavi simply doesn't taste good.

Of course, a sample size of one is no condemnation of Georgian wine, nor saperavi. It's worth trying another -- though not from this producer.

"Thrill or Swill?" aims to expand wine drinkers' horizons -- including Gut Check's. If you have been curious about a grape or wine and want Gut Check to try it, let us know via the comments thread. If we can find it (and if we can afford it), we'll buy us a bottle, yank the cork and report back.

© Riverfront Times

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (4)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:15:19 +0000

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (3)

Episode four

The duo headed to Alsace and Burgundy for a lesson on barrel making, and ‘terroir’ - a catch-all way of describing the many factors that can influence the quality of a vineyard. Oz then took a sceptical James to meet one of Burgundy’s most celebrated winemakers, Thierry Beaumont, to sample Burgundies from Thierry’s three separate terroirs.

Dark Whites From the Wild East

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:58:38 +0000

Rkatsiteli, from Georgia, rewards those who keep an open palate; 'it's not exactly fresh'

By LAWRENCE OSBORNE

One night in Tblisi, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, I went drinking with members of the Eliava Insitute during a blackout. There were long beards, soulful songs, and a wine called Rkatsiteli. It was like a mixture of sherry and bootleg vodka fermented in bed pans, and it had the same effect on my nervous system as a massive dose of Paxil. A wine for depressives and for Russians, I decided, for people who value deadening oblivion over finely calibrated taste sensations. I am sure I was lingeringly disorientated for six months afterward. Even the tongue-twisting name had a subtle dread to it. When Gorbachev waged war on Russian alcoholism by ripping up vineyards, this was the grape he targeted. He failed.

Ten years on—that is, last week—I drank another Rkatsiteli at the New York home of Ketevan Ninua, an artist who was once married to Georgi Shengelaya, the noted Georgian movie director. Mr. Shengelaya, auteur of "The Death of Orpheus," is also one of the best wine-makers of the eastern province of Kakheti, which borders on Azerbaijan. His wine is called Nato Vachnadze, and it is nothing like most of the Georgian wine now available in America, which is just as well because Georgian wines are a bit of a joke for most American drinkers. It's the kind of wine you drink once a decade at Primorski in Brighton Beach after a gallon of vodka.

In reality, we don't know them. What we do know are cynical exports with lush names with more consonants than vowels; dense, sweet potages with pretty labels, wines mostly for Holy Communion and buffalo bourguignon. But Georgia has been making wine since the time of Tutenkhamen. Could we be wrong?

Nato Vachnadze was Mr. Shengelaya's mother, and was also the first diva of the Soviet silent movie era in the 1920s. A cult figure also of the Stalin years, she died in a plane crash in 1959. The wine is an homage to her, and by extension, perhaps, to Georgian women in general. It's not a bad thing to pay homage to, and sometimes I wish there were more women's faces on labels and more homages in general. Besides, naming a wine after your mother is certainly better than naming it something like "Saamo No. 30," as the Soviets usually did. The only problem for the Russian market would be if it became known as "Nato."

Buying Georgian Wine

It can be difficult to find good Georgian wines in the U.S.; if you find a store that stocks them, producers to look for include Shumi, Maisuradze, Kakhuri and Vinoterra.

A good Rkatsiteli that is available in the U.S. is the Tsinandali from Teliani Valley (it's 20% Mtsvane grape ). Usually sold for about $12, it's stocked at www.georgianwinehouse.com and is a straight-up classic Georgian white. The same producer also puts out an interesting Tsolikouri made from the grape of that name.

I went to Ketevan's home on West 71st Street during a violent December storm to meet her and her son George, who although only 22 and still at Connecticut College, is set to inherit the Kakheti vineyards of his father. In their kitchen we opened the last bottle of Nato Vachadze Rkatsiteli that George had on hand, while Ketevan showed me her nervous, delicate paintings and we talked about Mr. Shengelaya's films. (I later looked up his "Georgian Grapes" at IMDb, the online movie database, hoping it might be about the wine business, and found a single description: "First Georgian movie featuring nude female body. That's all.")

Soon, a scent of wood and resin came out of the bottle with Nato's opiatic face on its label. A dark yellow liquid was poured into the glasses, with no promise of the "lively" fruit and vividness that Westerners so boringly demand in their whites. Under the Soviet system these wines had to be aged in wood for three years, yielding a drink that is tannic, with some of the qualities of dry fino sherry. I didn't want to say it, but this actually made me feel relief.

"I've been told," George said, "that it's the opposite of American taste."

"In what way?"

"Well, it's not exactly fresh. Most people in a restaurant in New York would send it back if they didn't know it. They'd think they were being poisoned."

"Well," I said, "they are being poisoned much of the time."

"Yes, but not by us."

The Shengelaya reds are more conventionally pleasing, but not so the whites. The Rkatsiteli grape is highly acidic, thorny, difficult to manage, and it has to be picked late so that there is enough sugar to balance out its tartness. It yields Oloroso-like dessert wines (like the Alaznis Veli and the Saamo), and prickly whites—like this one, or the delicate Bodbe—that have a color of dark honey and a tinge of mustiness. As the Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine so tartly puts it, "white wines made this way are not at all to Western tastes, but Georgians themselves love them." Shorthand: "They're crap."

We drank on. Within two glasses I was tipsy, warmed from the inside. The Nato was a sly, comradely drink, and I suddenly imagined the elder Giorgi, who lives near his vineyards in the Kakheti province, standing behind me with a kind of uxorial satisfaction.

The better Georgian wines issue from another world, or at least from another age, and it's impressive how inflexibly indigenous they have remained. Of course, the usual Georgian wines in our American wine stores may also be indigenous, which only shows that authenticity and quality are far from the same thing. Perhaps it's just a matter of separating wheat from chaff, because these wines have immense pedigree, not to mention delightful weirdness on their side.

Consider the archaic wine-making techniques used. There is "the Irmeretian method," which involves vinifying the must with the skins in huge underground amphora akin to the "pithos" used by the Ancient Greeks. Another is the "Kakhetian method," in which the skins are left in contact with the wine for up to five months. This is what yields tawny white wines that are "not to Western tastes." It is viticulture in a time warp.

Clay vessels from Georgia called kvevi have been found with Rkatsiteli grape seeds dated to 3000 B.C. In the fourth century A.D., Saint Nino arrived from Cappadocia with a cross made of vine wood and fused (as scholars like to muse) Christianity and wine in the Georgian psyche. They drank their wine out of horns called kantsi, and I seem to remember seeing an ancient cameo of Bacchus in the Tblisi State Museum. But this pedigree hasn't saved Georgians from numerous scandals regarding the dubious authenticity of their present wine. In wine terms, Georgia is the Wild East.

In 2006 Russia imposed an embargo on Georgian wine, claiming that much of it was counterfeit or fraudulently labeled. Alas, much of it is. Wine blended with inferior or incorrectly identified varietals is still being shipped to the U.S. and Western Europe from Stalin's birthplace, Gori, and this makes the task of George Shngelaya the younger in finding a distributor for his rare, fragile Nato Vachnadze somewhat daunting.

"I do not," he said rather grandly, "want to be confused with the wine that is already here. The reality is that America doesn't even know anything about us. Almost nothing."

It's often the way with allies. But at least we could start buying better Georgian wines. If young George finds his importer I will happily drink a monthly Nato at Primorski's, after carefully explaining to the waiters what the name means. Women, wines and military alliances should not share the same names.

—Mr. Osborne is the author of "The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World."

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (3)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:29:40 +0000

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (1)

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2)

Episode three

The Rhône Valley provided ample opportunity to learn about lots of different grape varieties. However, the world-renowned winemaker Michel Chapoutier provides an obvious distraction for James with his classic car collection.
James May and Oz Clarke drinking unmarked red wine

The father and son team of Domaine Viret, Alain and Philippe Viret, managed to extol the benefits of embracing ‘cosmoculture’, a mystical approach to grape growing involving the harnessing of the cosmic energy of the sky. And Former French rugby international and winemaker, Gérard Bertrand, challenged James to blend his very own wine using a variety of grape extracts.

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:27:48 +0000

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (1)

episode 2

Provence provides an opportunity to learn to match wine with various foods. Jean-Claude Mas, a young winemaker who uses New World techniques to improve the wine, coupled the local speciality, oysters, with his Arrogant Frog Sauvignon Blanc; Béziers, a French town with a great Spanish influence, offers steak with various red wines. And finally, there's a dessert course at Ousteau de Baumanière, courtesy of France’s champion dessert chef.

Wine: World’s oldest vintners still make good product

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:56:32 +0000

By: Pamela S. Busch
It seems like the only time we ever hear about Georgia — as in the republic of, not the Peach State — is when something bad happens.
The recent and tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 22-year-old Olympic luger, was a reminder of the difficulties that this eastern European country has faced over the years. While many still think of it as part of the Soviet Union, Georgia — which also shares a border with Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan — has had its own national identity and culture for centuries, and wine has been a big part of its heritage.
Georgia has a winemaking tradition that goes back at least 7,000 years, making it possibly the oldest viticulture society.
While there is experimentation with the grapes we all know and love, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, etc., Georgia has plenty of its own indigenous varietals that can make interesting and high-quality wines.
Bagrationi Brut Sparkling Wine, Royal Cuvee, 2007 (Imereti, Georgia): Bagrationi has been in the sparkling wine business since 1882 when Georgian Prince Ivane Bagrationi-Mukhranell tried his royal hand at winemaking. Credited as the first to use methode tradition (secondary fermentation in bottle) in this country, Bagrationi has been an influential sparkling wine house and today makes about 75 percent of all Georgian bubbly. Composed of the local Chinuri grape, this is joyfully fresh with green apple, apple skin, a spritz of lemon and a drop of cream. Suggested retail: $33
Mildiani Rkatsiteli, 2006 (Kakhetia, Georgia): Katsiteli, also known as Rkatsiteli, is one of the oldest wine grapes used. Indigenous to Georgia, it is planted in other eastern European countries and a few scattered regions around the globe.
Light-bodied, this Mildiani’s version is gentle on the palate with hints of pear and kiwi on the finish. Suggested retail: $9.99
Vinoterra Saperavi, 2003 (Kakhetia, Georgia): Though only eight years old, Vinoterra ferments most of the wines the old-fashioned way, by placing the juice in amphora and sticking them in the ground. In the case of the Saperavi, it spent six months under before being transferred to French barrels for further aging. Indigenous to Kakhetia, Saperavi is now planted in other Georgian wine regions. Suggested retail: $22
Pamela S. Busch is the wine director and proprietor of CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen in San Francisco.

© San Francisco Examiner

The Impacts of the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union on the Georgian Wine Industry

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:17:56 +0000

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Content
1.
Introduction
2.
Analysis of Georgian Wine Industry: National and International Perspectives.
2.1. Description and Analysis of the Industry: National Level.
2.2. Global Perspectives and International Benchmarking of Georgian Wine Industry.
3.
The Assement of the Impacts of the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union on the Georgian Wine Industry: Short-Term Perspective.
3.1.
Georgia and EU: Brief History of Economic and Trade Relationships.
3.2. The Regulatory Impact Assessment of Georgia-EU FTA.
4.
Competitiveness Analysis of the Georgian Wine Industry: Long-Term Perspective
4.1. Porter‘s Competitiveness Model: Theoretical Perspective.
4.2. Competitiveness of Georgian Wine Industry: Porter Analysis.
4.3. Georgian wine industry: SWOT analysis.
5.
Policy Recommendations.
Appendix I
Appendix II

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2006) (1)

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:58:14 +0000

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2006)

Episode one

James May arrived in Bordeaux with Oz Clarke for an introduction to the art of wine tasting at the magnificent, 150-year-old Château Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande of Grand Dame Madame May-Elaine de Lencquesaing. After a brief break in the lessons at an unusual grape-related spa, Oz put James's new-found tasting skills to the test at the Château Pichon-Baron, in front of one of the wine industry’s biggest players, Englishman Christian Seely.

After mixed results the duo headed south to the coastal wine region of Languedoc-Roussillon. Here, South African Tom Lubbe and Kiwi Sam Harrop provided them with a crash course in winemaking at their Matassa vineyard. James’s new knowledge is then put to the test once more as Oz challenges him to produce his own wine to be tested on the unsuspecting locals.

Tamada, 122 Boundary Road, London NW8

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:55:28 +0000

by Tracey MacLeod

Sunday lunchtime can be the loneliest time of the week for the exiled traveller, yearning for the comfort food of their distant homeland. So my guest, the American musician Loudon Wainwright, got excited when I told him I was taking him for lunch in a Georgian restaurant. That was until I explained I meant Georgia the country, not the state. "Oh... great," he lied feebly.

Little did he know that Georgia is celebrated for its distinctive cuisine, based on walnuts, pomegranate seeds, herbs and spices (Nor did I, but we were snowed in, and I needed to review somewhere within walking distance).

So, with very little idea of what to expect, we slid our way to Tamada, a newish Georgian restaurant just off Abbey Road, where St John's Wood meets Kilburn. On an attractive parade of shops, Tamada's blandly modern frontage doesn't leap out and scream "London's best – or certainly nearest – Georgian restaurant."

Nor is there much to betray the restaurant's ethnic origins in the décor of pale wood floor and tables, mushroom-coloured walls and beige upholstery. The only clue lies in the framed photos of downtown Tbilisi and, er, other famous cities in Georgia, like ... ahem, moving on.

Loudon, who like most musicians has almost zero tolerance for any kind of music, slumped when he realised we were sitting under a speaker blaring out a heroic chorus. But the sound system was turned down before we'd asked – the first example of intuitive and sweet-natured service from the tremulously attentive solo waitress.

The weekend lunch option is limited to a bargain-priced set menu, but on overhearing us asking about a dish from the full menu, a beautiful, soignée woman, clearly the owner, sprang over and offered to let us order some of the à la carte options.

As someone who eats out professionally, I found it refreshing to choose between dishes that were almost completely unfamiliar. A Middle Eastern influence is at work, in dishes using aubergines, stuffed peppers, and grilled flatbreads. The star of the show, though, is the walnut. There's steamed spinach with walnuts, aubergines with walnuts, red beans with walnuts, house salad with walnuts – and that's just the starters.

We lunched on a shared selection of dishes, starting with grilled flatbread, filled with molten, unsalty cheese (khachapuri). Then borsht, thinner and less beetroot-dependent than the Polish version. ("Oily" and "watery" were the other adjectives offered by Loudon.)

Many of the starters are vegetarian and those we tried tasted hugely better than they looked. Fried slices of aubergine (badrijani) impastoed with a spiced walnut paste and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, had a blowsy depth of flavour, while a dish of red beans (citeli lobio), with coriander, and, very possibly, walnuts, revealed a herb-scented subtlety under its unpromisingly mushy appearance.

Loudon was also pleasantly surprised by the experimental dish I forced him to order – fried cubes of pork lungs, liver and heart (kuchmachi). The texture of these smoky morsels was chewy but not unpleasantly so, and the flavour intense, with an offally tang which, we later discovered, would live on long after the plates were cleared.

That Georgian food is all about flavour was born out by the outlandish appearance of the national dish, khinkali, super-sized steamed dumplings like deflated tennis balls, each holding a herb-scented parcel of minced pork and beef in broth. Good, pot-sticking comfort food for a cold day, and I can imagine a homesick Georgian exile falling on them with sobs of gratitude, but unlikely, I would guess, to convert too many London foodies from their regular dim sum.

A casserole of lamb (chakapuli) stewed in wine with green onion and tarragon had an interesting otherness about it, possibly through the use of imported plum sauce. The meat was lean, but not particularly tender – I would have preferred longer cooking using a fattier cut, but maybe this is the Georgian way.

The pudding list is short – just ice cream and, inevitably, walnut cake – but we limited ourselves to dense, sweetened coffees. These, with a couple of glasses of Georgia's most celebrated red wine, Mukuzani, brought our bill to around £40 a head, though we ordered profligately.

The owner is apparently a Georgian businesswoman who has given up her job to follow her dream of opening a restaurant. The food she is serving is fresh, authentic and often really good. But it's hard to capture the spirit of Georgian conviviality in a chilly, empty modern restaurant.

Tamada needs to attract not just Georgians, but non-Georgians and neo-Georgians if it's going to survive. So if you have the slightest curiosity about the culinary properties of the walnut, hurry while stocks last.

Tamada, 122 Boundary Road, London NW8 (020-7372 2882)

Food ***

Ambience **

Service ****

Around £30 a head. Weekend set-lunch menu £12.50 for two courses; £14.95 for three courses

Tipping policy: "No service charge. All tips go to the staff"

Side Orders: Georgian London

Little Georgia Cafe

The dishes at this cheap and cheerful café include delicious meze style stuffed flatbreads, blinis and starters and warming stews such as Chanakhi (made from lamb, aubergine and potato)

87 Goldsmiths Row, E2 (020 7739 8154)

Tbilisi

Try one of the warming wintry stews such as chakhokhbili (a rich chicken and tomato stew flavoured with ajika, a Georgian spice-blend).at this popular local restaurant; the wine list is excellent too.

91 Holloway Road, Holloway, N7 (020 7607 2536 )

Mimino

Ojakhuri – pieces of pork fried in special spices and served with fried potatoes – is one of the specialities at this popular Kensington restaurant. Main courses cost from £12-£15.

197c Kensington High Street, London W8 (020 7937 1551)

Wine exports decrease in 2010

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:46:56 +0000

In 2008 Georgia exported more than 12 million bottles of wine. In 2009 the total was just 11 million bottles.

The major reason for this dramatic setback is the decrease of wine exports to Ukraine which had become the leading export destination after Georgia lost the Russian market. In 2008 Ukraine imported almost 7 million bottles of Georgian wine whereas in 2009 it took less than 5 million.

However there are some more encouraging figures. Exports to Kazakhstan, Belarus, Lithuania and some other countries have increased. The most popular brands of Georgian wine are red Kindzmarauli and white Tsinandali.

Georgia increases wine export to Azerbaijan

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0000

2009 export of Georgian wine to Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Azerbaijan, China and several other countries grew over 2008.

The edition says that demi-doux Kindzmarauli krasnoye and white dry Zinandali are most popular among Georgian wines, according to the export statistics.

However, BG reports that a significant decline has been fixed on the main sales market. By official information, Georgian wine export to Ukraine dropped 32% in 2009 as compared to 2008. Last year Ukraine received 4,573,461 bottles of wine, while in 2008 this indicator made 6,747,668 bottles.

© Business Georgia

Georgian Wine Exports in Ukraine were Reduced by 32 Percent

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Georgian Wine Exports in Ukraine were Reduced by 32 Percent

Maia Arabidze

After having lost the Russian wine market Georgia is in the process of losing the Ukrainian market as well. However, unlike the Russian case, the reason for losing the Ukrainian target market is not political but the price and deteriorating quality of Georgian wines. Last year wine exports were reduced by 10 percent compared to 2008. Analysts forecast further decrease in wine export in future.
In 2008, 12,192,000 bottles of Georgian wine were exported while last year export was reduced to 10,968,161 bottles. This significant fall was obvious in regards to Georgian winemakers' target markets as well.
According to official data, in 2009 the export of Georgian wines to Ukraine was reduced by 32 percent compared to 2008. In 2009 the export of Georgian wines to Ukraine was 4,573,461 bottles while in 2008 there were up to 6,474,668 bottles exported to Ukraine. Instead, compared to last year wine export has been increased in Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Azerbaijan, China and several other countries.
According to export statistics, the best popular Georgian wines abroad are: Kindzmarauli Red semi-dry and Tsinandali white, dry. Vasil Managadze, head of Samtrest, says the reduction in export is caused by the world economic crisis.
“The economic crisis has served a reason for the export reduction,” Managadze said. “Still, Georgian wines were sold in more than 40 countries, which is an obvious sign of geographical expansion compared to 2008.
In addition, lots of events are organized for the promotion of Georgian wines, the most important ones being the participation in the most prominent and most famous exhibitions.
In this way Georgian producers are given an opportunity to attract new markets and increase export. The latest exhibition in which Georgia was presented was the Green Week Berlin.
Private sector representatives offer different views. Zura Margvelashvili, executive director of the wine production company Tbilvino, says that the export reduction is caused because of the non-existence of marketing campaign and promotional support in target markets.
“The export reduction tendency has been obvious already for several years,” Margvelashvili. “As far as Tbilvino’s concerned, in 2008 we reached the same indicators the company had before the Russian embargo.
Moreover, in 2009 our sales were further improved by 10 percent, which means our company’s not in the list of the export reduction.
Fifty percent of our income used to come from the Russian market and embargo actually put us in bankruptcy position. In 2006 to 2007 have been rather tough years for the company.
Wine manufacturers must continue active work on wine quality stability issues. Today wine producers participate in different exhibitions through their own resources, which I believe will never be enough for the decent presentation and promotion of Georgian wines in foreign countries.”
He added: “It’s an accepted practice abroad that government and private sector works together.
The government has started active participation in different exhibitions, which is a welcome step, not enough though. Government should get even more active in this respect.”
Tbilvino’s management says Georgia’s losing Ukrainian market little by little and Georgian companies should be looking for other alternative options.
“Ukraine has become the member of the World Trade Organization, which means the taxes on wine export from the European Union and other countries are the same as from Georgia,” Margvelashvili said.
“However, before that Georgia had preferential conditions. While being put in same conditions, Georgian wines are not mostly capable of competing with others because of their price.
Thus, Ukrainian consumers realized that they can buy more quality wines for the same price and indeed, preferred them over Georgian wines. When particular market is lost it has commercial ground, Russian case is an exception.
Everything is the fault of incorrect work and wrong price policy. In the coming two to three years the sales of Georgian wines will further be reduced in Ukraine.”
Georgian Business Week spoke with independent wine industry analyst Giorgi Samanashvili regarding the ongoing developments in the wine market and what should be done to increase export and attract new markets.
“Wine exports will further keep reducing unless the approach itself to this subject is changed,” Samanashvili said.
“Especially the reduction will be obvious in respect to Ukrainian market, where in addition to the Grivna (UHR) devaluation political issues will also have an impact. Ukraine is the major market for Georgia and Georgian wines are becoming out of fashion there already as popular brands from other countries keep coming.

GBW: Does it mean that Georgian wine face the threat of being removed off the Ukrainian market?

GS: It’s become apparent lately that wines from Chile and Argentina are becoming more popular than Georgian wines, even for their prices. Most important is that these countries conduct marketing activities in Ukrainian market.
If in the past French wines actually were not at all presented in Ukraine, today, Ukrainian market is well saturated with French wines and consumers have broader options.
There’s a rather big competition in wine field all over the world and each country is doing its best to attract new markets. Out of the wines presented in Ukraine Georgia has the least marketing campaign.

GBW: When you say the approach to the subject has to be changed, what’s your suggestion and what are your recommendations for the promotion of Georgian wines both on local and foreign markets?

GS: First of all there should be worked out a joint policy which will need the corrections in the current legislation.

GBW: Would you say that the current legislation hinders the sector development and sets obstacles for the export increase?

GS: In general the situation in the country and the approach to the subject partly does hinder the sector development. There should be a joint plan worked out about selling more wine aboard taking into account the views of both private sector and government. A special board should be created that will lead the marketing campaign and work at target markets.
A website must be active where all the necessary information will be available about the companies and all that will be arranged and organized neatly. You’ll agree that much has to be done in this respect. There must be some group that will work on Ukrainian market issues in order to raise branding awareness of Georgian wines there.

GBW: Such ready-made recommendations are welcome, but surely the government alone won’t be able to settle the problem unless there’s an involvement of the private sector.

GS: Indeed, cooperation between private sector and government is very important and a decisive factor. Private sector has no money today; on the contrary, all it has is debt. Government can do nothing alone as governmental sector is too weak in marketing. It’s essential that joint works are conducted and one side should take responsibility for managing these issues and put the circle together.

Launch of ExpoKakheti

Malkhaz Kharbedia — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:09:46 +0000

the First Exhibition and Convention Center Outside Tbilisi

On July 30, 2009 the USAID-supported Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Support Project and Telavi Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the launch of a new Exhibition and Convention Center called ExpoKakheti in Telavi. The opening of ExpoKakheti was immediately followed by the trade fair AgroKakheti 2009, July 30-Aug 1, 2009 focused on agricultural products, wine, wine tourism, raw materials, packaging, machinery, and equipment. List of participating companies included Telavi Wine Cellar, Wine Company Shumi, Vinoterra Wines and Spirits, Schuchmann Wines Georgia, Hermes Ltd, Agribusiness Development Activity, Transcaucasus Crystal Ltd, Tegeta Motors, Agrovitae Ltd, Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia, Alaverdi Monastery Wine Cellar, Elkana, Sole Proprietor Natroshvili, Sole Proprietor Givi Toradze, Sole Proprietor Tushuri Pardagi, Constanta Bank, ProCredit Bank, Georgian Incoming Tour Operators’ Association and others.

ExpoKakheti Ltd is a brand new and modern exhibition and convention center located in Telavi, Kakheti Region of Georgia. It is the first and the only permanent exhibition facility outside Tbilisi. In his welcoming remarks, Lasha Zhvania, Minister of Economic Development emphasized that ExpoKakheti will promote the export of local products, and encourage trade and investment cooperation between local companies and foreign businesses.

ExpoKakheti Ltd is a private company established by the Telavi Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry and private sector companies, with the support of the USAID-supported SME Support Project. In March, 2009 SME Support Project awarded a $150,000 grant to Telavi Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry to set up a convention/exhibition center in Telavi. The total cost of the project is $470,000; $320, 000 USD was contributed by local businesses that are shareholders of a newly-established ExpoKakheti together with Telavi Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

ExpoKakheti is a company that offers its clients not only an exhibition venue, but also a complete range of services designed to help a client or investor start-up do business in the region of Kakheti. The center plans to have four thematic fairs a year. In-between the fairs, ExpoKakheti will operate as a show-room facility for local producers, companies from other regions of Georgia, and investors or foreign companies willing to start and develop their business in the region.

According to Joakim Parker, Acting Mission Director of USAID/Caucasus, “The facility is expected to operate not only as a venue for fairs and exhibitions, but be proactive promotional unit offering all interested individuals or companies a wide array of services aimed at promoting local exports and trade in general, and attracting foreign and Georgian direct investments in the region.”

Within AgroKakheti 2009, in cooperation with the EU-Georgia Business Council, the Chamber is holding a workshop on access to EU markets on July 31 and on August 1, the workshop on Prospects of Wine Tourism Development in Kakheti.