Georgia's representative red wine variety, “Saperavi,” which is gaining attention in Korea, is in the spotlight in Daejeon.
Since reaching its peak in 2021, wine imports to Korea have been on a downward trend since 2022, but New Zealand wines are a notable exception due to the continued popularity of Sauvignon Blanc.

According to Yangchart statistics, New Zealand wine imports increased by 78% last year compared to 2023, and imports through June this year reached 73.4% of last year's total, continuing the upward trend. As a result, wine imports from countries other than New Zealand are structurally bound to show a steeper decline than the overall decrease rate.

Although not as much as New Zealand, Georgian wine from the Caucasus region is also showing steady growth. According to Yangchart statistics, imports of Georgian wine increased by 12% last year compared to 2023, continuing its growth for two consecutive years. Recently, the National Wine Agency of Georgia announced that wine exports to the Korean market in the first half of 2025 increased by 7% in volume and 13% in value compared to the same period last year. In particular, this year, unlike previous years, the proportion of red wine imports has clearly increased, as confirmed by statistics.

This growth is attributed to the National Wine Agency of Georgia's strengthened domestic marketing efforts. The representative red grape variety of Georgia is Saperavi, and most of the Georgian red wine imported into the country is made from this variety. With the noticeable increase in domestic imports of Saperavi wine this year, a special promotional event is also planned to commemorate this.

On October 20, a master class will be held at the Daejeon Convention Center, led by Lado Uzunashvili, Georgia's representative winemaker. As part of the International Wine Conference program on the second day of the Asia Wine Trophy judging, the master class will be held under the theme of “Benefits and Diversity of Georgia's Dominating Red – Saperavi.”

Rado Uznashvili is the owner and winemaker of Mukado Wines, a winery in the Kakheti region of Georgia, and also serves as the head winemaker at Vazisubani Estate, which is gaining popularity in Korea. Two years ago, he visited Daejeon to represent Georgia, which was the guest country at the Daejeon International Wine Expo, and introduced the charm of Georgian wine at the “Georgian Wine Night” event.

Meanwhile, Mukado Wines' 2014 vintage wine, “Traditional Full Skin Contact,” won the “Best Qvevri Amber Wine” award at the 2024 Asia Wine Trophy, along with Askaneli Brothers' 2021 vintage 'Kakhuri Qvevri' as the ‘Best Qvevri Amber Wine’ at the 2024 Asia Wine Trophy. Additionally, Mukado Wines was selected as the ‘Qvevri Amber Wine Best Producer’ and received a free booth operation right at the 2025 Daejeon International Wine Expo as a prize.

Translated with DeepL.com 

Original text and source : https://www.sommeliertimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=129411