“Operating a winery is becoming increasingly difficult from a bureaucratic standpoint,” Oda family winery founder Keto Ninidze told BMGTV. She said small wineries are facing growing administrative and financial burdens, particularly from wine certification requirements.
Ninidze said certification requires additional time and technical work, while systems are not fully integrated. For example, shipping documents must be uploaded to the Revenue Service platform, while certificates are submitted separately through the National Wine Agency’s system. Since certification has become paid, the administrative burden is now accompanied by additional costs.
She also highlighted laboratory testing costs. If a wine lot is not fully sold within a year, the same lot may require another laboratory analysis, costing her winery around GEL 1,000-1,500. Other challenges include lowering the production threshold from 40,000 to 25,000 liters, requiring permits for new vineyards and introducing mandatory marking for certified spirits.
Ninidze said winemakers support quality control but believe the procedures should be simplified. She called for greater state support for small wineries producing traditional, Qvevri, natural and organic wines, as well as stronger measures against wine counterfeiting. According to her, quality control and reducing bureaucracy should not be mutually exclusive.
