Kazakhstan: Vice President Wine Specialists Association of Kazakhstan on Trends

Kazakhstan's national sommelier association called Association of Wine Specialists of Kazakhstan "AWSK" was established in 2017 and is the only association in Kazakhstan that unites wine specialists from all over the country. Today there are 68 members in our association and 76% of them are professionals who work directly with wine.

Today, Kazakhstan's wine market is rather small and it can be difficult to find something trendy like petnats or natural wines, Vin Jaune and more. But there are a lot of biodynamical wines available which become more and more popular. People in Kazakhstan try to live healthier which is the main reason for the popularity of these wines - which is possibly true also outside Kazakhstan.

Speaking about wine preferences by country, it's difficult to miss the popularity of New Zealand's refreshing Sauvignons. They are very successful among young people and among those who just start their wine route. France and Italy are the choices of rich middle-aged people, especially Burgundy, Piedmont and Tuscany. Sommeliers and wine specialists are always in search of something rare and new, I mean new for our market, so trends can easily change every month. Since last year, Austria and Germany got interesting and were added to most part of wine lists in Almaty city.

A couple words about spirits: the best-selling spirit in Kazakhstan is vodka which is due to the low price and simplicity of the drink, so it`s the oldest alcohol trend. Seriously speaking, now in fashion are various tinctures made by barmen and whiskey. In addition, Kazakh Wednesday tradition is a cocktail bar visiting, to finish the day with a glass of Negroni or something lighter.

In conclusion, I should say that there are a lot of place for new trends in our young market.