Georgian Wine - National Wine Agency

“In the event of an excess harvest, the purchase price of Rkatsiteli and other wine grape varieties with a sugar content exceeding 20% will be 1.30 GEL per kilogram. For quality Saperavi, the sugar content must exceed 22%, and the grapes must be undamaged. In this case, the state will pay 1.50 GEL per kilogram of Saperavi grapes,” said Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency.

According to the Chairman, vineyards are currently being established and maintained during this period, and therefore winegrowers should take the planned changes into consideration.

“The state’s actions are entirely focused on improving the quality of Georgian wine to ensure its competitiveness in the global wine market. For this reason, it is critically important that the raw materials used in winemaking meet high-quality standards. Achieving superior quality requires special care of the vineyard, avoiding overloading the vines, and prioritizing quality over quantity. In light of this, it is reasonable to further increase the price difference between quality, conditioned grapes and low-quality, unconditioned grapes,” explained the Chairman of the National Wine Agency.

According to Levan Mekhuzla, the lower threshold for sugar content has been set at 17%, which defines low-quality grapes.

“Very low-quality wine is produced from grapes with a sugar content below 17%. One of the primary indicators of grape quality is its sugar content,” the Chairman of the Agency noted.