Some Georgian wine producers believe the government is not spending enough on promoting Georgian wine internationally. In 2026, the state budget for wine promotion increased only slightly to GEL 18 million, up from GEL 17.4 million in 2025, a difference of just GEL 600,000.
As Shalva Kurdadze, founder of Papari Valley, told BMG, it would be far more effective if part of the large subsidies allocated for purchasing low-quality grapes were redirected toward additional marketing activities for Georgian wine.
“GEL 17–18 million may sound like a decent amount, but I can confidently say this is what a single large Western wine brand spends on marketing. This budget is supposed to promote the entire country and the entire wine industry - in reality, it’s a drop in the ocean. Imagine trying to ‘conquer’ the whole world with GEL 17 million. Anyone familiar with marketing knows this is nearly impossible.
The Wine Agency does many good things, but if even a portion of the money spent on subsidizing low-quality grapes were used for promoting Georgian wine and increasing the marketing budget, we would see much stronger progress. When the state spends GEL 100 million on subsidies but only GEL 17–18 million on promotion, it’s hard not to smile ironically,” Kurdadze said.
2025 grape harvest cost the government a record GEL 220 million. Under this scheme, the state purchased 1 kg of Saperavi grapes for GEL 1.5 and Rkatsiteli or other varieties for GEL 1.2.
