Georgia’s wine exports continue to fall, with data showing a 12% decline in sales abroad during January–September 2025, totaling USD 190 million.
According to Levan Samanishvili, former head of the National Wine Agency, the decrease was expected, as Georgian companies had exported unusually large volumes at the end of 2023 ahead of Russia’s excise tax increase.
“A 12% decline may not seem dramatic on paper, but it highlights deeper issues in the sector,” Samanishvili said. “This year’s harvest once again proved that our system is broken. Some grapes are bought only by the state, while some wineries struggle to find quality grapes. The overall quality of wine has dropped significantly.”
He emphasized that only a small part of the market, the mid-tier producers, continues to focus on high-quality grapes, while mass production is leading to a decline in standards.
Samanishvili also criticized the state’s heavy spending on the harvest, saying that over 100 million GEL was spent “in the wrong direction.”
“That money didn’t help the sector recover; it was used mainly for social purposes,” he noted.
The continuing export downturn and structural inefficiencies, Samanishvili warned, point to systemic weaknesses in Georgia’s wine industry despite its strong international reputation.
