On June 17th, the Bolnisi PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Wine Festival was held in Bolnisi’s old German district. The event also included the well-remembered slogan from previous events of Bolnisi – The Town of Golden Wine.
It was the first time the PDO Wine Festival was held in Georgia. Protected Designation of Origin is one of the key indicators of wine characteristics, emphasizing its advantage while compared to other wines. The aim of the festival was to promote and raise awareness about the PDO Signage between the winemakers.
PDO Wines of around 70 cellars from all around Georgia were present at the Bolnisi PDO Wine Festival. During the event, the contest of PDO Wines was organized; the competition wines were evaluated by a group of local and American wine experts and sommeliers.
At the end of the festival, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal-winning wines were announced.
On the same day, the Georgian-German Wine House opened in the old German district; the place will serve as the exclusive place for tasting Bolnisi Wines. A century-old German house is located in Bolnisi, Mill Street #8 (Tsiskvili Street), and its entire restoration-rehabilitation process has been supported by RMG’s initiative and resources, and conducted with the collaboration of the “Association for the Preservation of German Cultural Assets in the South Caucasus.”
“Today we opened the Georgian-German Wine House, which has an old German cellar in the basement. In this house, local winemakers can present their wines, while guests are welcome for wine tasting and purchasing. The second floor of the house will accommodate the training space and the library, while the attic will serve as the exhibition area. Along with this, the houseyard gives us a nice opportunity to host wine events and more. It is a very important day and I believe that this platform will strengthen Bolnisi winemaking in general” – Kakhaber Mchedlishvili, RMG’s Corporate Director.
During the festival, a Sommelier’s Master Class, a presentation of the book “The Wines of Georgia” by Lisa Granik, and wine games were held at the Georgian-German Wine House.
Bolnisi PDO Wine Festival was concluded by the musical concert of Niaz Diasamidze & 33a.
Within RMG’s Bolnisi Winemaking Support Program, Bolnisi hosts wine events for the 3rd year in a row, scaling up to the Bolnisi PDO Wine Festival this year.
“The PDO Wine Festival has been organized in Georgia for the first time and it’s a big motivation for the winemakers, as the PDO sign is a significant niche. Our goal for gathering at this festival is to better introduce our region to the wider society, Bolnisi town, and our wines and offer them high-quality beverages. Getting this prize was a huge success and happiness for me. This is the result of hard work and a big appreciation from the Jury.” – Ioseb Mukhigulashvili, Winery “Mukhiguli 1770”.
The Festival was presented by RMG.
Festival supporters: City Hall of Bolnisi Municipality, “Wine Bolnisi” Association, Bolnisi Agrocenter, Wine Agency of Georgia, Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia, National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia.
