Georgian wine campaign expands in United States as exports surge and awareness efforts intensify

Wines of Georgia, the organization representing and promoting Georgian wines and funded by the National Wine Agency of Georgia, has announced the launch of its 2025 integrated communications campaign in the United States. The initiative aims to build on recent momentum in the American market, where exports of Georgian wine increased by 27% in volume and 32% in value during 2024. The new campaign, titled "Georgia, Naturally," will focus on raising awareness of Georgia’s winemaking heritage, natural production methods, and deep cultural ties to wine.

The campaign will target U.S. press, trade professionals, and consumers through a series of events and marketing activities. According to Tamta Kvelaidze, Head of Marketing & PR at the National Wine Agency of Georgia, the goal is to engage more members of the U.S. wine community and introduce them to the diversity of Georgian grape varieties and wine styles. The program will use educational messaging to reach key opinion leaders through press relations and trade activities while also connecting directly with consumers via events, advertising, and digital content.

A major component of the campaign is a strategic media relations program that will connect Wines of Georgia with leading journalists and industry professionals. The organization plans to host educational tasting dinners for top members of the press at authentic Georgian restaurants in New York City. These events are designed to showcase the versatility of Georgian wines with food pairings and highlight traditional winemaking practices. In addition to these dinners, Wines of Georgia will conduct a national sampling and media outreach effort.

For trade professionals, Wines of Georgia will organize three trips to Georgia in 2025. These trips are intended for importers, distributors, master sommeliers, and retail buyers who want to deepen their understanding of Georgian winemaking history, terroirs, and innovations. From August 24-26, Wines of Georgia will be a major regional sponsor at TEXSOM in Texas. The organization will host a lunch and present wines at each session during the conference’s grand tasting. Earlier this year at TEXSOM Awards in February, Wines of Georgia sponsored a Judges Dinner and facilitated submissions for over 50 Georgian wines, resulting in 29 medals for the category.

On September 23, Wines of Georgia will hold its third annual Grand Tasting and Masterclass event in Los Angeles. This marks an expansion into Southern California for the campaign. The event will feature a four-hour walkaround tasting with over 150 producers represented, an interactive masterclass for trade professionals, and a two-hour consumer session hosted by prominent U.S. media personalities. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste a wide range of Georgian wines including reds, whites, ambers (orange wines), rosés, and sparkling wines.

To further increase consumer awareness and education about Georgian wine, Wines of Georgia is participating in several high-profile food and wine events across the country throughout 2024 and into 2025. In April, the organization took part in The Smithsonian Associates Digital Wine Education Series with a seminar focused on Georgian wines for a national audience. In June, Wines of Georgia will pour at both the James Beard Foundation Media Awards and Restaurant & Chef Awards receptions in Chicago.

From June 20-22, Wines of Georgia will participate in the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen with two tasting tables at the Grand Tasting Pavilion across five sessions. This event attracts more than 5,000 attendees including consumers, collectors, chefs, sommeliers, and media from around the country.

On November 2 in New York City, Wines of Georgia will partner with Orange Glou Fair to highlight amber wines—a style for which Georgia is known as a pioneer. The event draws over 500 consumers along with food from top local restaurants. Later that month from November 7-9, Wines of Georgia will attend both the Austin Food & Wine Festival in Texas—with two tasting tables and a guided seminar—and the San Diego Bay Food + Wine Festival on the West Coast. In San Diego, they plan to participate in multiple tasting events as well as host an educational masterclass.

These efforts are designed to maintain growth for Georgian wine in what has become a priority export market. By engaging with press, trade professionals, and consumers through immersive experiences and targeted messaging about tradition and innovation in Georgian winemaking, Wines of Georgia hopes to further establish its presence among American wine enthusiasts.

For ongoing updates about events or educational opportunities related to Georgian wine in the United States, interested parties can visit winesgeorgia.com or follow WinesGeorgia on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.