Tasting a glass of local wine at the recent opening of a new hotel complex in the Kakheti region, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili gave praises to an unlikely figure for the quality of the wine he was tasting. “Russia’s plans in terms of Georgian wine have failed. Many thanks to Vladimir Putin [Russian Prime Minister] for improving the quality of Georgian wine,” Saakashvili said.
Until some four years ago, when Russia imposed an embargo, almost all Georgian wine went to its neighbor in the north. Since then, Georgia has expanded its distribution and in the process, it would appear, improved the quality of its wine. That's the claim the Georgians make, at least. In a recent article, The Economist takes a look at just how the Georgian wine industry has fared in the wake of the Russian embargo. Following up on The Economist's reporting, China's Xinhua news agency takes it own look at the story.
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