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- Levan Mekhuzla: "We started the harvest preparations earlier this year, allowing us to conduct the process in a more organized manner"
Levan Mekhuzla: "We started the harvest preparations earlier this year, allowing us to conduct the process in a more organized manner"
Quality
Within the framework of Georgian wine quality improvement reform, Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency, met with local government representatives in the municipalities of Sighnaghi and Dedoplistskaro.
The main topic of the meetings was preparations for the 2026 harvest. According to the decision of the Georgian government, in the event of a surplus harvest, if the private sector does not express interest in purchasing grapes, the state will determine the purchase prices based on sugar content. In the case of grapes of permitted varieties according to the Law on Vine and Wine, if the sugar content exceeds 20%, the price is 1.30 GEL, for sugar content from 17% to 20% - 0.80 GEL, for less than 17% - 0.30 GEL. As for Saperavi, if sugar content is over 22% the price is 1.50 GEL, in the case of sugar content from 17% to 22% - 0.90 GEL, and for less than 17% - 0.30 GEL.
"We started the harvest preparations earlier this year, which allowing us to conduct the process in a more organized manner. Setting a differentiated price increases the motivation of winegrowers to produce a higher quality harvest. We care about the healthy, long-term development of the sector and, at the same time, we are aware of our social responsibility towards farmers so that grapes are not left unsold. However, considering the future of the sector, the grapes to be delivered for purchase must be of high quality," noted Levan Mekhuzla.
At the meeting, the Chairman of the Agency also spoke about the measures that ensure the organized management of the mobility of transport loaded with grapes during the harvest period. Harvest will be monitored using electronic scales, which will be integrated into a single electronic database, that will increase the transparency of the process and the trust of winegrowers. In addition, wineries will be equipped with modern sugar content measuring devices.
The Chairman of the Sighnaghi City Council, Davit Janikashvili, the Mayor of Dedoplistskaro, Nikoloz Janiashvili, and the Deputy Chairman of the Agency, Zurab Vacharadze also attended the meetings.
It is noteworthy that meetings related to wine quality reform have already been held in all municipalities of Kakheti region.