Small wineries in Georgia are seeing little growth in sales while production costs continue to rise, creating financial challenges for producers. Andro Gotsiridze, founder of Gotsiridze Winery, told BM.GE that sales in the segment remain roughly at last year’s level.
He noted that many shops and wine bars selling small wineries’ products are also facing difficulties. At the same time, costs for cultivation, chemicals, other treatments and labor continue to increase, making it harder for producers to maintain profitability without higher sales.
Gotsiridze also highlighted limited access to financing, saying existing credit lines and support programs are no longer sufficient for small wineries to expand. He believes new programs should focus on helping producers make high-quality wine and enter European and US markets, rather than primarily increasing production volumes.
As for prices, Gotsiridze does not expect significant changes. Small wineries mainly operate in the mid-price segment, and without sales growth, he says, raising prices would be difficult.
