( CNN ) -- Wine-making in Georgia has been an integral part of the country 's culture for millennia ; so ingrained is viticulture in the country that imagery of grapevines can be seen adorning churches and public monuments . But a Russian embargo on Georgian wine imports imposed in 2006 has meant its vineyards have been transformed more in the last six years than the previous 8,000 . Until the embargo , the country of 4.5 million people in the Caucasus region sold around 50 % of its wine to Russia . A year after it was cut off from its biggest market , sales dropped by a further 25 % , according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia . Safety concerns were the official reason behind the Russian ban on all beverages imported from Georgia , although many within the wine industry believe the move was politically motivated . `` In 2004 the wine industry started its reforms and by 2006 ( counterfeiting and sub-standard quality wine ) was partly solved , '' says Levan Davitashvili , of Schuchmann Wines , an independent winery in Georgia . While little known to most wine drinkers in western countries , Georgia has traditionally had a reputation for producing the best quality wine from the region , especially among former Soviet states . With over 500 endemic varieties of grapes it is one of the world 's most diverse for types of wine , with most families owning small vineyards using traditional wine-making methods -- typically in huge , underground amphorae-like vessels called `` qveri '' . Yet its good reputation was diluted by counterfeiting that increased during the late 1990s and early part of the last decade . One of the most common ways to produce fakes was to pass off substandard wine , sometimes not made in Georgia at all , as a better quality product . `` In the bottle its grape juice or wine from elsewhere but it bared the label of Georgian appellation , '' says Irakli Cholobargia of the Georgian National Wine Agency . `` The other type of counterfeit is n't wine in the bottle at all , but something else like juice of radish or carrots with alcohol . '' Cholobargia says that is was easy to spot the fakes even before drinking them because they were sold a much cheaper price than the authentic wines . Despite Cholobargia 's contention that the counterfeiting was limited , fakes would turn up in other markets apart from Russia even as far as the U.S . The Baltic states of Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania have been a substantial export market for Georgian wine and some estimates have suggested that before 2006 there was twice as much fake Georgian wine as authentic sold there . `` Georgia 's wine players all suffered because of the name infringement and it hit the reputation of Georgian wine overall , '' says Cholobargia . The result of the embargo and loss of the biggest export market was that many wine-makers simply had to close while those that survived had to upgrade their facilities and quality . Many , like Schuchmann Wines , have recast themselves as boutique vineyards with an eye to tapping into the western market . Previously known as Vinoterra and founded in 2002 by a small group of Georgian winemakers near the eastern city of Telavi , it was bought by German investor and wine aficionado Burkhard Schuchmann in 2008 . The aim was to provide a higher quality wine that would impress European wine drinkers . `` Western consumers have better expectations rather than those who have an established history of drinking Georgian wines , '' says Davitashvili , who also says that the 300,000 bottles that Schuchmann Wine produces each year could be expanded to one million as China 's thirst for wine increases each year . While sales of Georgian wine have been increasing for the last three years , it could still take another five years for the volume of sales to surpass pre-2006 levels , according to Cholobargia . With only 45,000 hectares of vineyards ( one of the world 's largest wine producers , Spain , has over one million hectares ) , Georgian wine will always be a relatively bespoke operation . `` But if we get back the same volume ( as 2006 ) the value will also go up , '' says Cholobargia . Since 2004 the Georgian government has taken steps to protect and encourage the industry , legally reclaiming Georgian names from companies registered in Israel and the U.S. , and in April an agreement with the EU came into effect on mutual protection of trademarked food and drink . `` Wine is very important for the country , '' says Cholobargia . `` It 's one of the high quality products of the country . The key instrument to raise awareness , plus the uniqueness gives us the opportunity to attract international attention . '' CNN 's Eye On series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile . However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports .
Georgia is thought to be the world 's oldest wine producing area . History of wine-making stretches goes back over 8,000 years . Russian embargo on Georgian wine since 2006 initially hit industry hard . Many producers have improved quality and looked for new markets .