In 2000, both Georgia and Moldova shipped about 80% of their wine exports to Russia (by value). In 2006, both were hit by a Russian import ban. The ban on Georgian wine lasted until 2013. The one on Moldovan wine lasted only one year but was followed by a second ban in 2013. As a result, in 2023, while Georgia is again dependent on Russia (65% of its wine export value go to Russia), Moldova has almost completely detached itself from the Russian market.
Considering that the price value of the wines going from Georgia to Russia is usually lower than the value of the wines going to the EU and USA, can we take for granted that the total export values are even higher for Russia? While talking with the National wine agency of Georgia I had the feeling that the country managed to get out of this sort of dependency on the Russian market.
Adam Vignola
1mo
Belarusian wine exports went up. So there's a way to get around bans. But good info.
Principal Consultant at Henniger Winkelmann Consulting (HWC LLC)
1moVery illustrative! A few comments: Both countries are EU candidates. With Ukraine, they are 3 ex-Soviet’s republics in queue to join the EU. During post-Saakashvili times, Georgia’s politics are officially pro-European but remain pro-Russian in practice, leading to a split from EU integration. This is why the negotiations on accession to the EU did not start. This is reflected in the wine sector, which focuses on the Russian market without adjusting to Western preferences. Georgian sweet and semi-sweet red wines remain popular in post-Soviet markets, while Western markets prefer dry wines. Moldova, with its classical dry wines, has reconsidered the risks of high dependence from Russian market and diversified exports under Russian pressure and aligns better with Western tastes.