In the event of a surplus harvest, the purchase price of Rkatsiteli and other wine grape varieties with a sugar content exceeding 20% will be set at 1.30 GEL per kilogram. For quality Saperavi grapes, sugar content must exceed 22% and the grapes must be undamaged. In this case, the state will pay 1.50 GEL per kilogram, said Levan Mekhuzla, chairman of the National Wine Agency.

According to Mekhuzla, vineyards are currently being formed, and winegrowers should take the planned changes into account.

“The state’s actions are fully aimed at improving the quality of Georgian wine so that it is competitive on the global wine market. For this, it is of paramount importance that the raw materials used in winemaking are of high quality. To achieve high quality, we must take special care of the vineyard, avoid overloading the vines, and focus not on quantity but on quality. Given this, the decision to further increase the price difference between quality-conditioned grapes and low-quality, unconditioned grapes is fair,” the chairman explained.

According to Mekhuzla, the lower sugar content threshold has been set at 17%, which will define poor-quality grapes.

“Very low-quality wine is produced from grapes with a sugar content below 17%. One of the main indicators of grape quality is sugar content,” he noted.