Lucrative Harvest is Expected - Minister Discusses Upcoming Vintage with Wine Sector Representatives

Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Levan Davitashvili and Chairman of the National Wine Agency Levan Mekhuzla met with representatives of wine industry and discussed vintage 2019 organizational issues.

According to Levan Davitashvili, as a result of the cooperation and coordinated work between the state and the private sector, they hope that vintage 2019 will be successful without interruption.

“This year we are expecting a pretty good harvest both in qualitative and quantitative terms. All the innovations that will be in the vintage this year are aimed at better accounting, registering and tracing the grapes, that will contribute to high quality wine production. Working on the quality of Georgian wine is a permanent and irreversible process. Consequently, the Ministry will carry out more active work in terms of quality control and monitoring after the vintage is completed, ”said the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture.

Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency spoke to the participants about the technical details of the vintage 2019, the procedural issues of the grapes delivery and the innovations. This year, one of the important news from the representatives of the National Wine Agency concerns the registration of all grapes delivered to the wineries. Last year, only Saperavi grapes were accounted. An administrative resource of the National Wine Agency has been mobilized to run the process smoothly. This year, during vintage, Kindzmarauli, Akhasheni, Mukuzani and Kvareli micro-zone grapes will be delivered only on the basis of vineyard cadastral extract. According to Mr. Mekhuzla, for quality assurance of wine, the quantity of grapes delivered from these micro-zones, like the experience of other wine producing countries, was set at no more than 10 tons per hectare. Grapes over 10 tons and with no cadastral extracts will be considered as varietal wine color materials.

As noted at the meeting, for the purpose of certifying the cadastre extract, the viticulturists should apply to the relevant departments in the villages of the municipalities until September 1, 2019.

The meeting held in the National Wine Agency was attended by the Deputy Ministers of Environment Protection and Agriculture, representatives of the National Wine Agency and the winemaking sector.