THEORETICAL ASPECTS AND WAYS OF WINE  TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN GEORGIA

Medea Melashvili  Ketevan Kveladze  Nunu Kistauri

Journal number 4 ∘ Medea Melashvili ∘ Ketevan Kveladze ∘ Nunu Kistauri ∘
THEORETICAL ASPECTS AND WAYS OF WINE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN GEORGIA

10.36172/EKONOMISTI.2024.XX.04.MELASHVILI.KVELADZE.KISTAURI

Summary

Today it is already known that Georgian wine is historically one of the oldest in the world. Viticulture and winemaking here date back to the 7th-6th millennium BC. To date, the earliest signs of viticulture and winemaking found in the world indicate the existence of wine culture in Georgia as early as 8,000 years ago, which gives Georgia the status of the homeland of wine.

The authors of the Atlas, “The Art of Wine,” New York, (1992), Hugh Johnson and James Holliday, as well as wine expert and author of the world's best wine guide Oz Clark, agree that humanity was still in the Stone Age when vines were first cultivated in Georgia and wine was obtained.

Of the 2,000 grape varieties known in the world, 500 are Georgian, of which 430 are preserved in various state or private collection vineyards. In the 1980s, the Georgian forest vine was included in the Red Book and is protected by the state. In 2013, the Georgian traditional method of making wine in a qvevri was granted the status of an intangible cultural heritage monument by UNESCO, which indicates the uniqueness of this method and sends a message to the whole world that wine is an integral part of the ancient Georgian identity and culture.

In Georgia, wine tourism is at the initial stage of development, despite the existing centuries-old experience. In order to achieve success in the field, we must definitely share the experience of those countries that have long been involved in this field: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and Austria. It is worth noting that in recent years, wine tourism has been one of the main priorities of the Georgian government.

In our country, like in the above-mentioned countries, wine tours should become one of the leading directions of tourism in wine-growing regions (e.g., wine tasting, learning about the stages of production, visiting vineyards, attending wine festivals, etc.), because wine tours are a good opportunity to spread information about Georgian wine culture.

In all countries with a wine culture, such a type of wine tourism as the “Wine Road” is very important. This project was planned by the Georgian state and the international organization USAID and was launched in 2011. The symbolism of the vine and grapes on the signs is Georgian, and the color is Saperavi.

In order to develop small wineries, regional wine tourism, and tourism in Georgia in general, in cooperation with the Wine Club, with the financial support of the USAID/Georgia Economic Security Program, a new educational project “Wine Village” has been launched, which has been implemented since 2020.

The dynamics of recent years show that in order to popularize Georgian wine on the world market, Georgia participates in international wine and alcoholic beverage exhibitions on a large scale and achieves great success. We can cite the following data as evidence of this:

- Back on September 7-9, 2016, at the initiative of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, the first global conference on wine tourism was held in Kakheti, Georgia (in Kakheti, since 65 percent of vineyards in Georgia grow in Kakheti). The conference was attended by 250 delegates from 42 countries and 150 organizations.

- The success of the wine company "Shumi" is worthy of special mention, which on October 23, 2021, in Italy, at the Cultural Routes Competition held under the auspices of the Council of Europe, for the first time in history, on behalf of Georgia, won the highest international title - "Best Archaeobotanical Practice in Wine Tourism". This title is one of the important steps forward for Georgia in the international arena.

- VinePair, one of the largest digital wine platforms in the United States, published an article: "The Ten Best Wine Regions to Visit in 2023". Georgia takes first place in this top ten,

- With the support of the National Wine Agency, Georgian wine was presented at a total of 14 exhibitions, 20 festivals and 100 professional tastings in 15 countries around the world in 2023. These countries are: the United States of America, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Denmark, South Korea, China, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy and Turkey.

- Georgia won 52 gold and 31 silver medals at Mundus Vini 2024, one of the most famous spring wine competitions.

- Most recently, on February 27, 2024, an exhibition called “Georgia - the Country of Wine” opened in Portugal, which was dedicated to the unique Georgian method of qvevri wine production.

Georgian qvevri wines are now considered among the world's wine-making countries, such as France, Italy and Spain.

Our country has great potential for the development of wine tourism. It can play a crucial role in improving the living standards of the population in wine-growing regions and preserving the identity of the village, protecting and developing Georgia's unique natural heritage, and also, very importantly, creating new jobs.

EKONOMISTI The international scientific and analytical, reviewed, printing and electronic journal of Paata Gugushvili Institute of Economics of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

DOI: 10.36172/EKONOMISTI E ISSN 2346-8432 Print ISSN 1987-6890	Journal number 4 ∘ Medea Melashvili ∘ Ketevan Kveladze ∘ Nunu Kistauri ∘ THEORETICAL ASPECTS AND WAYS OF WINE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN GEORGIA 10.36172/EKONOMISTI.2024.XX.04.MELASHVILI.KVELADZE.KISTAURI Summary Today it is already known that Georgian wine is historically one of the oldest in the world. Viticulture and winemaking here date back to the 7th-6th millennium BC. To date, the earliest signs of viticulture and winemaking found in the world indicate the existence of wine culture in Georgia as early as 8,000 years ago, which gives Georgia the status of the homeland of wine. The authors of the Atlas, “The Art of Wine,” New York, (1992), Hugh Johnson and James Holliday, as well as wine expert and author of the world's best wine guide Oz Clark, agree that humanity was still in the Stone Age when vines were first cultivated in Georgia and wine was obtained. Of the 2,000 grape varieties known in the world, 500 are Georgian, of which 430 are preserved in various state or private collection vineyards. In the 1980s, the Georgian forest vine was included in the Red Book and is protected by the state. In 2013, the Georgian traditional method of making wine in a qvevri was granted the status of an intangible cultural heritage monument by UNESCO, which indicates the uniqueness of this method and sends a message to the whole world that wine is an integral part of the ancient Georgian identity and culture. In Georgia, wine tourism is at the initial stage of development, despite the existing centuries-old experience. In order to achieve success in the field, we must definitely share the experience of those countries that have long been involved in this field: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and Austria. It is worth noting that in recent years, wine tourism has been one of the main priorities of the Georgian government. In our country, like in the above-mentioned countries, wine tours should become one of the leading directions of tourism in wine-growing regions (e.g., wine tasting, learning about the stages of production, visiting vineyards, attending wine festivals, etc.), because wine tours are a good opportunity to spread information about Georgian wine culture. In all countries with a wine culture, such a type of wine tourism as the “Wine Road” is very important. This project was planned by the Georgian state and the international organization USAID and was launched in 2011. The symbolism of the vine and grapes on the signs is Georgian, and the color is Saperavi. In order to develop small wineries, regional wine tourism, and tourism in Georgia in general, in cooperation with the Wine Club, with the financial support of the USAID/Georgia Economic Security Program, a new educational project “Wine Village” has been launched, which has been implemented since 2020. The dynamics of recent years show that in order to popularize Georgian wine on the world market, Georgia participates in international wine and alcoholic beverage exhibitions on a large scale and achieves great success. We can cite the following data as evidence of this: - Back on September 7-9, 2016, at the initiative of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, the first global conference on wine tourism was held in Kakheti, Georgia (in Kakheti, since 65 percent of vineyards in Georgia grow in Kakheti). The conference was attended by 250 delegates from 42 countries and 150 organizations. - The success of the wine company "Shumi" is worthy of special mention, which on October 23, 2021, in Italy, at the Cultural Routes Competition held under the auspices of the Council of Europe, for the first time in history, on behalf of Georgia, won the highest international title - "Best Archaeobotanical Practice in Wine Tourism". This title is one of the important steps forward for Georgia in the international arena. - VinePair, one of the largest digital wine platforms in the United States, published an article: "The Ten Best Wine Regions to Visit in 2023". Georgia takes first place in this top ten, - With the support of the National Wine Agency, Georgian wine was presented at a total of 14 exhibitions, 20 festivals and 100 professional tastings in 15 countries around the world in 2023. These countries are: the United States of America, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Denmark, South Korea, China, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy and Turkey. - Georgia won 52 gold and 31 silver medals at Mundus Vini 2024, one of the most famous spring wine competitions. - Most recently, on February 27, 2024, an exhibition called “Georgia - the Country of Wine” opened in Portugal, which was dedicated to the unique Georgian method of qvevri wine production. Georgian qvevri wines are now considered among the world's wine-making countries, such as France, Italy and Spain. Our country has great potential for the development of wine tourism. It can play a crucial role in improving the living standards of the population in wine-growing regions and preserving the identity of the village, protecting and developing Georgia's unique natural heritage, and also, very importantly, creating new jobs.