29 April, 2022: (Shenzhen)Master of Wine Debra Meiburg has announced the upcoming launch of a dedicated official Saperavicoursefor wine lovers and wine professionals in the Official Georgian Wine Education Program – a world-first to be launched in China and taught in several top wine schools across China. Georgia’s “king” of red grapes, Saperavi, is one of the world’s oldest grape varieties mentioned in documents dating back at the 12^th century.

The official Saperavicourse – written by Master of Wine Debra Meiburg in association with the National Wine Agency of Georgia – joins Official Georgian Wine Education Program’s existing curriculum, comprising “Introduction to Georgian Wine”. Initially five wine schools will be certified to teach the Sapervai class with more to be added in 2023.

Riding on the popularity of Saperavi in China, from both consumers and a growing interest in this ancient Georgian grape from Chinese wineries in Xinjiang and Ningxia, the Saperavicourse explores the many styles of red wines it produces.

Capable of producing dry, semi-sweet, aged, traditional, and modern wines which are expressive of their diverse terroirs, Saperavi is overwhelmingly the most popular Georgian wine being imported into China, estimated to be around roughly 85% of Georgia’s total imported wine into China. In 2021 China imported a total of 5,934,937 bottles of Georgian wine. The course also delves into the history, background, and culture of Georgian wine – the world’s oldest documented winemaking nation. 

In a video interview released this week, Debra Meiburg MW shared some of the key points of interest about Saperavi, its popularity in China with consumers and winemakers, its emergence as a serious and “noble” variety and one that is poised to potentially play an increasingly important role in the context of climate change. Particularly of interest to many in the international wine community is the grape’s ability to maintain freshness and lower alcohol levels when ripening in warm climates.

The Official Georgian Wine Education Program saw its global launch in China in 2020 with the training and certification of five of China’s top Educators – Julien Boulard MW, Dorian Tang, Tang Zhu, Raintree Wei Jun and Lingzi He. The program is further expanding in 2022 with four new educators to be announced in June.

Saperavicourses will start being offered from the second half of the year in the following schools:

·         Zhulian Wine School, Nanning - Taught by Julien Boulard MW

·         MWM Wine School, Hong Kong - Taught by Debra Meiburg MW 

·         Tasting Annex, Shenzhen - Taught by Raintree Wei Jun

·         Dragon Phoenix Wine School, Chengdu - Taught by Tang Zhu

·         ASC Fine Wines, Beijing - Taught by Dorian Tang

Saperavi shot into the spotlight in China in 2019 where it was the subject of a world-first International Spaeravi Symposium,exploring 18 of the world’s most premium, prestigious and expressive examples of Saperavi. This highlight event on the ProWein Shanghai 2019 event calendar was joined by over 80 international and local media, as well as Chinese wine educators, influencers, buyers and critics.

Grown in over 20 countries internationally now, including 30+ Australian wineries alone, Saperavi’s unique flavour and structural characteristics, its enduring history, as well as its ability to survive and thrive in extreme climatic conditions are increasingly capturing the attention of winemakers from China to France, New York to New Zealand and more.