The National Wine Agency of Georgia on Thursday said 278,000 tonnes of grapes had been processed across the country, with revenues reaching GEL 415 million and benefiting around 20,000 winegrowers.
The Agency said 276,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested in Georgia’s eastern winemaking region of Kakheti, while 1,630 tonnes came from the western Racha region and the remainder sourced from various other wine-growing areas across the country.
So far, 450 wine companies and wineries have participated in the harvesting process, with the next phase beginning in the northwestern Tsageri municipality.
In a bid to “promote the sale of the harvest, maintain grape quality, and support the stable development of the wine industry”, the Georgian Government announced harvest subsidies.
Under this initiative, companies that paid a minimum of GEL 1.00 per kilogram to winegrowers for Rkatsiteli grapes harvested in Kakheti qualified for state subsidies. In Racha, companies that compensated winegrowers with at least GEL 8 per kilogram for Alexandrouli and Mujuretuli grapes grown in the Khvanchkara microzone received a state subsidy of GEL 4.
