“During the 2026 Harvest, Even Greater Value Will Be Placed on Growers Who Focus on Grape Quality and Condition”

“In the event of a surplus harvest, the price for Rkatsiteli and other wine grape varieties with sugar content exceeding 20% will be GEL 1.30 per kilogram. For high-quality Saperavi, the sugar content must exceed 22%, and the grapes must be undamaged. In such cases, the state will pay GEL 1.50 per kilogram of Saperavi grapes,” stated Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency.

According to the Agency Chairman, vineyard formation is currently underway, and therefore growers should take the planned changes into account.

“The state’s actions are fully directed toward improving the quality of Georgian wine so that it remains competitive on the global wine market. To achieve this, it is essential that the raw material used to produce wine is of high quality. Reaching high quality requires careful vineyard management, avoiding overloading the vine, and focusing on quality rather than quantity. Considering this, it is fair that the price gap between high-quality, compliant grapes and low-quality, non-compliant grapes will increase further,” the Chairman explained.

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

“Grapes with sugar content below 17% produce very low-quality wine. One of the main indicators of grape quality is precisely its sugar content,” the Agency Chairman noted.