Ambassador of Georgia to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili, left, introduces Georgian wine during a wine lecture and tasting event at Lotte Department Store in downtown Seoul, June 28. Courtesy of Embassy of Georgia in Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea's wine market is ever-growing due to the pandemic-fueled consumption of wine at home, raising its popularity here. As the market expands, Korean wine aficionados seek to diversify their selections, and Georgian wine is an attractive option.

The Embassy of Georgia in Korea promoted its unique amber wine as well as a wide variety of red and white wines and other spirits at the Seoul International Wines & Spirits Expo (SIWSE) 2022 and a wine lecture and tasting event last week.

Dubbed the "cradle of wine," Georgia is said to be the birthplace of wine with its winemaking methods dating back some 8,000 years. It still uses ancient winemaking traditions to produce wine, fermented and aged in Qvevri, or Georgian traditional earthenware vessels.

Outgoing Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili said Georgian wine has a great potential for Korean wine lovers.

"Our strongest side is the amber wine, which is gaining importance and popularity around the world. This is an example of the Georgian winemaking tradition, which is designated as UNESCO heritage. Korean consumers will enjoy the organic wine," Berdzenishvili told The Korea Times during the Georgian wine evening event at Lotte Department Store's main branch in downtown Seoul, June 28.

Hs sees paving the way for the Korea-Georgia free trade agreement (FTA) as one of his biggest achievements during his tenure in Korea.

"We finished the feasibility study last year and now there is a big expectation for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, because the president already mentioned in his speech that Korea should be a global player and the diversification of the market is now of paramount importance for all of us," Berdzenishvili said.

As the feasibility study has been successfully wrapped up, the ambassador hopes for the FTA process to move in the Korean "palli-palli" (hurry-hurry) way.

"We will be one of the first countries from our region to sign an FTA (with Korea) very soon. After the FTA, Georgian wine and other products will be pouring into the Korean market and Korean consumers will be able to have not only access to Georgian wine, but access to the diversification of products," he said.

Ambassador Berdzenishvili highlighted the market niche for Georgian wine.

"We are the country where the first wine was made. We can export more than 100 types of different wines and varieties, especially organic wine, which is now having a very big demand from the world's consumers," he said.

Giorgi Tevzadze, right, adviser to Georgia's National Wine Agency chairman, gives a lecture on the country's wine production during an event promoting Georgian wine at Lotte Department Store in downtown Seoul, June 28. Courtesy of Embassy of Georgia in Korea

The National Wine Agency of Georgia, under the Ministry of Agriculture, supervises wine production and promotes Georgia's wine and viticulture.

Giorgi Tevzadze, adviser to the National Wine Agency chairman, visited Korea and gave a brief lecture on the history and characteristics of Georgian wine to Korean wine aficionados.

"Georgia has more than 525 indigenous grape varieties... Georgia is very diverse in 'terroir' from northern to southern part and eastern to western part, which defines the quality of Georgian wines, which are made region by region by using different endemic grape varieties," Tevzadze said.

According to Tevzadze, Georgia's major winemaking region is the eastern province of Kakheti. The region is known for its traditional Qvevri production, which results in the authentic organic wine of Georgia, along with modern methods.

A Georgian wine official, left, pours wine for a Korean guest during the Seoul International Wines & Spirits Expo 2022 at Coex in southern Seoul, June 29. Newsis

Meanwhile, Georgia's National Wine Agency and the Georgian Embassy here opened a booth during the liquor show from Thursday to Sunday and over 60 representatives from 16 Georgian wine companies attended to promote their products.

"I think that this is the one of the biggest achievements of the embassy. I also needed to show the attractiveness of the Korean market for our companies and explore new possibilities for trade," the ambassador said.