Ia’s Winery: Aged Wines Have Stronger Market Positioning Potential

Georgian wine demonstrates strong character after aging, as it has the potential to develop further over time and achieve stronger market positioning. For this reason, we decided to stop selling newly produced wines,” Ia Imerlishvili, founder and director of Ia’s Winery, told BusinessPartner.

According to Imerlishvili, 30% of the winery’s production is currently exported, while 70% remains on the domestic market. Part of the wine sold locally is set aside for aging, while the rest is distributed through wine shops.

“At this stage, we export to Poland and Germany, while simultaneously working to enter larger markets, including the United States and the United Kingdom. As for the local market, our wines are available at around 8,000 retail points, and we are also considering entering the HoReCa sector. Although the Georgian market is saturated, we aim to maintain an active presence,” she said.

Ia’s Winery currently has a production capacity of up to 8,000 bottles and offers six different wine labels. Imerlishvili notes that international demand for Georgian wine is growing, with qvevri wines attracting particularly strong interest abroad.

“Compared to the same period last year, company sales have not increased, as we deliberately chose to focus on wine aging. Our goal is to offer consumers wines aged for three to four years. The prospects for aged wines are much more interesting,” Imerlishvili explained.

Ia’s Winery is a family-run winery producing both qvevri wines and classic European-style craft wines. The winery is located in Gurjaani and sources its grapes exclusively from its own vineyards. The winery entered the market in 2020.