Grape harvest 2016:
37,800 tonnes of grapes picked so far

Grape growers in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region are continuing to reap the benefits of a bumper harvest.

So far this season farmers have earned 32.4 million GEL by selling about 37,800 tonnes of grapes.

The Georgian National Wine Agency said local growers had processed the following grape varieties:

• Rkatsiteli - 17,300 tonnes
• Saperavi – 17,000 tonnes
• Kakhuri Mtsvane – 1,600 tonnes

To date most grapes were processed in Kakheti’s Gurjaani municipality – 13,400 tonnes. Followed by:

• Kvareli – 9,300 tonnes
• Telavi – 6,800 tonnes
• Sighnaghi – 6,000 tonnes
• Dedoplistskaro – 1,300 tonnes
• Lagodekhi – 486 tonnes
• Sagarejo – 430 tonnes
• Akhmeta – 234 tonnes

Rkatsiteli is the mostly harvested grape variety in Georgia so far. Photo by Wines of Georgia. 

In Kakheti 56 wine companies are involved in grape processing works, including 11 wine enterprises that were hired by the state. Additionally 138 wine producing companies were registered at a special grape harvest coordination centre, said the Agency.

To support this year’s grape harvest and selling, the Government decided to subsidise the 2016 grape harvest.

The price for different grape varieties in different regions will be following: 

In Kakheti region:

• 1kg of Rkatsiteli – 0.45 GEL; 1kg of Kakhuri Mtsvane – 0.45 GEL; 1kg Saperavi – 0.20 GEL.

In Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti:

• 1kg of Mujuretuli/Aleksandrouli – 2 GEL.

More than 5,000 farmers have already passed their picked grapes to wine companies, said the Wine Agency.