Drink Georgian wine Support for Georgia: Polish campaigners

Drink Georgian wine Support for Georgia: Polish campaigners
Wine has a rich history dating back to around 6000 BC and is thought to have originated in areas now within the borders of Israel, Georgia and Iran.
22 hours ago
WARSAW (AFP) — Campaigners in Poland, a staunch ally of Georgia, Tuesday urged their compatriots to glug down Georgian wine and mineral water to show their support for Tbilisi in its conflict with Russia.
"The Russian occupation of Georgia has hit the Georgian economy. Besides humanitarian aid, another way to help is to buy Georgian products," said Michal Strozyk from the Polish group Solidarity with Georgia, at a stand in Warsaw's touristy Old Town.
He then tipped back a glass of deep-red Kindzmarauli, one of the country's leading wine varieties, and poured more for passersby.
To encourage consumers, Strozyk's organisation has adopted a slogan which rhymes in the original Polish: "Don't let Putin scare you! Drink Georgian wine!" in a swipe at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Wines from ex-Soviet Georgia have long been a favorite in many parts of the former communist bloc -- albeit less so in Poland, where Bulgarian and Hungarian producers have traditionally dominated the market.
The Georgian wine industry had suffered a major blow from Moscow well before the outbreak of fighting earlier this month between Tbilisi and its Soviet-era master.
In 2006, amid soaring tensions between the two countries, Moscow slapped sanctions on Georgian imports -- shutting Georgian winemakers out of their main export market.
Ex-communist Poland is a staunch ally of pro-Western Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili and has been pressing the international community for a tough line against Russia in the wake of its offensive in Georgia.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who travelled to Tbilisi earlier this month to show support for Saakashvili, had already announced that he would serve Georgian wine at official ministry functions.
For those who prefer a non-alcoholic tipple, Strozyk's campaign group also wants Poles to drink more mineral water from Georgian springs such as Nabeghlavi and the better-known Borjomi.
The source of Borjomi lies in a national park which has been hit by forest fires that Georgia claims were started by Russian helicopters dropping incendiary bombs, although Moscow has rejected the allegation.
"Borjomi is a symbol of their freedom, and of our solidarity with Georgia," said Polish lawmaker Michal Szczerba, a supporter of Strozyk's group, as he toyed with a glass.
Similar Georgian product promotion campaigns have been held in Poland's neighbouring Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Like Georgia, they were part of the Soviet Union until 1991, and are also among Tbilisi's most vocal supporters against Moscow.
Maxima, a leading Baltic states retailer, said its sales of Georgian wine had jumped since the start of the conflict.
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