Japanese Master of Wine Kenichi Ohashi Praises the Growing Quality and Diversity of Georgian Wine

"Georgian wines always leave a lasting impression on me because their quality continues to improve year after year, while their stylistic diversity keeps expanding. It is always inspiring to hear directly from Georgian winemakers. That is why visiting Georgia every year has become essential for me—to witness the tremendous effort being invested in continuously improving the quality of Georgian wine," said Kenichi Ohashi, Japan's Master of Wine, following a wine tasting held in Tbilisi.

Kenichi Ohashi, who heads Red Bridge, the National Wine Agency's marketing partner in Japan, is the only Master of Wine in Japan.

During the tasting organized by the National Wine Agency of Georgia, Ohashi sampled wines from around 10 Georgian wineries, representing a variety of wine styles. As part of the visit, he also met with Georgian wine producers and sommeliers to discuss key issues affecting the country's wine sector, including current industry challenges and strategies for strengthening the international positioning of Georgian wine.

The National Wine Agency has partnered with the Japanese marketing company Red Bridge since 2017. Japan is one of Georgia's key strategic wine markets in Asia. With the Agency's support, the first large-scale presentation of Georgian wine in Japan took place in 2014.

Since then, Georgian wine companies have regularly participated, with the Agency's support, in major international exhibitions and events, including FOODEX Japan, Wine & Gourmet Japan, RAW Wine Tokyo, and ProWine Tokyo, as well as local wine competitions and Georgian wine tastings held across various cities in Japan.