Georgian Wine - National Wine Agency

“Quality remains our priority, and there can be no compromise on it. If only five truckloads of unripe grapes were delivered during this year’s harvest, next year there should not be even one. That is our goal. Today, winegrowers can grow smaller quantities of high-quality grapes at lower cost and earn substantial income,” said Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency, speaking about the progress of the harvest. 
According to Mekhuzla, farmers had been informed as early as February of the arrangements under which grapes would be delivered to the state-owned company. 
“The main reason for making minor changes to the differentiated pricing rules was the heavy rainfall and the relatively cool summer. Flowering and ripening began late. This is one of the latest harvests in recent years. Winegrowers became concerned that the grapes might not reach the required level of maturity. The purpose of setting prices according to quality is to ensure that labour, costs and income are managed sensibly. The statistics on grapes processed so far show that the reform is working. 99% of winegrowers have grown high-quality grapes, and only 0.5% of the grapes delivered have been of poor quality,” Mekhuzla said.