MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

"Probably one of the most elite and prestigious wine tasting in the world is held in Georgia under the auspices of "Grand Jury Du Vin". Here we have a chance for Georgian wines to be tasted together with the leading wines of the world and evaluated by highly professional, most competent experts," – the First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development stated in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Wine Symposium at the Tsinandli estate.

The wine symposium of the Swiss association "Grand Jury Du Vin" was held in Georgia for the second time - the Tsinandli Estate is hosting the most famous professionals from various wine regions, sommeliers, wine experts and journalists working in this field on October 4-5. Maya Omiadze, the Head of the National Tourism Administration of Georgia, also participated in the symposium.

It should be noted that the association founded in Switzerland in 1996 has been hosting the most prestigious wine symposiums for years at the Villa d'Este on Lake Como in Italy, and in 2023, the event was held in Georgia for the first time at the initiative of the Silk Road Group and in partnership with the Georgia Bank, in the Tsinandli Estate and it has become an annual tradition.

As the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development mentioned, it is important that Georgian wines, namely Saperavi and Kvevri wines, will be evaluated together with Burgundian wines at the symposium this year. According to Levan Davitashvili, the current wine symposium is a good opportunity and platform that promotes the international awareness of Georgian wine, the promotion of wine culture, and can play an important role in the development of wine tourism.

"In Georgia, on the one hand, probably the most valuable and prestigious Burgundian wines in the world are tasted, and on the other hand, Chinese wines are tasted, and the Chinese experts participate in the jury. This is very important – the Chinese market is prestigious, growing and interesting for many wine-producing countries, including it is one of the interesting export destinations for us. Therefore, it is a very good platform for positioning in the high-end segment of this market. I think we should keep this format and Georgian wines should be tasted together with different prestigious wines every year, which will give us the opportunity to compare them and gradually, over the years, position Georgian wines together with these wines on the international market," – Levan Davitashvili stated.

The wine symposium also included a cultural program, within the framework of which the guests had the opportunity to get acquainted with Georgian folklore.