Georgia’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Davit Songulashvili, emphasized the importance of state regulations on vineyard establishment, noting that such permits are common in the world’s leading winemaking countries.
According to him, ensuring high-quality wine requires strict rules that start from the vineyard, not just at the production stage.
“Vineyard permits are not something invented in Georgia. In France, Italy, Spain, and the U.S. -countries where viticulture is highly successful - regulations on planting vineyards are much stricter. These rules directly determine wine quality and, ultimately, its price. Compare the average bottle price in France, Italy, Spain with ours - those prices exist because quality is regulated from the vineyard,” Songulashvili said.
The minister noted that in commercial vineyards, especially in Kakheti, it is common to plant Rkatsiteli in areas where yields reach 30–40 tons per hectare, making it impossible for grapes to reach proper sugar levels. He stressed that investors must be protected from making costly mistakes. “Grapes and wine are not just a business sector - they are part of Georgia’s identity. The state must protect both the industry and the heritage that has existed for 8,000 years.”
Songulashvili added that the ministry has intensified inspections on the domestic market, including bottled wine, due to cases of dishonest practices. He said the government’s goal is for Georgian wine to become synonymous with high quality. Under the new regulation, wineries are now prohibited from accepting grapes grown in vineyards established without prior approval from the National Wine Agency.
