Wine, Society, and Geopolitics

Please join us for a unique, multi-panel event exploring the history, geopolitics, and political economy of wine production in the South Caucasus region. As a primary driver of Georgia’s burgeoning tourism industry (representing 18% of Georgia’s GDP in 2017) wine has been crucial to the internal development of Georgia’s trade, finance, and legal infrastructure. Panels will explore the following themes: how wine production has evolved historically in Georgia and the Caucasus and transformed Georgia’s economy, offering lessons for the region as a whole; the geopolitical consequences of a new wave of trade liberalization and foreign investment for the Caucasus; and the dynamics of local and global economies of wine, their politics and prospects.

9:30 - 9:50 AM | Welcome

9:50 - 10:00 AM

10:00 am - 12:00 PM | Wine, politics, and society in historical perspective

12:00 - 1:00 PM | Lunch

Lunch will be served on the 1st floor

1:00 - 2:30 PM | The Geopolitics of Wine Today: Trade, Tourism, and International Relations

2:30 - 3:00 PM | Coffee Break

3:00 - 4:30 PM | foreign investment, local economies: Case Study of Georgian Wines in the DC Market

4:30 - 6:00 PM | Reception

This event is made possible by the generous support of the America Georgia Business Council.

CSIS Experts

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Olga Oliker

Senior Adviser and Director, Russia and Eurasia Program

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Jeffrey Mankoff

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Event Partners