Georgian wine is making waves in the UK, and Wines of Georgia is set to return to the London Wine Fair 2025 with a larger presence.  The stand will feature 16 leading Georgian wineries, offering UK buyers and wine professionals a first-hand experience of Georgia’s distinctive wines—from the qvevri-aged expressions to elegant, modern styles, both from producers seeking UK distribution and those already available in the UK.

Picking a bottle of Georgian wine for the first time might feel quite daunting, especially if you’re used to wines from classic European regions. No familiar varieties—moreover, sometimes you’re not even sure whether the name on the Georgian wine label refers to a grape or an appellation! Throw in some Georgian letters, and it might look more like elvish runes out of Tolkien rather than something you’d find in Hugh Johnson’s wine guides.

New findings from a research project conducted by an international team of scientists have confirmed that the beginnings of viticulture and winemaking can be traced to around 6000 B.C., in Georgia.

What makes a wine ‘fine’? Along with 60 or so wine enthusiasts, professionals and consumers I was lucky to be invited by Nicole Sierra-Rolet co-founder of the le Chêne Bleu estate in the southern Rhône to try to answer this question at a weekend think tank snappily entitled Fine Minds 4 Fine Wines.