Grape harvest season picks up in Kakheti
Currently, 25 wineries are involved in grape processing in different municipalities of Kakheti region. Photo: Georgian National Wine Agency.
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5,500 tonnes of grapes have been processed in Kakheti region as of September 2.
Of the different varieties, about 2,000 tonnes of Saperavi, 1,300 tonnes of Rkatsiteli, 800 tonnes of Kakhuri Mtsvane have been processed, the National Wine Agency of Georgia reports.
Currently, 25 wineries are involved in grape processing in different municipalities of Kakheti region.
There are already 100 wine producing companies registered at a special grape harvest coordination centre which will be involved in different stages of the grape harvesting process.
During this year’s harvest about 250,000 tonnes of grapes are expected to be picked, announced National Wine Agency Chairman Levan Mekhuzla on 15 August.
He added that in 2018 Georgia enjoyed a record grape harvest during which 230,000 tonnes of grapes were processed.
Producers say that they will buy less grapes than planned, as they might have problems selling wine … The National Wine Agency has fully mobilised its resources to help farmers resolve all possible problems related to the process of selling their grapes”, said Mekhuzla on August 15.
A special grape harvest coordination centre opened on August 15 in Telavi in the heart of Kakheti that offers support to wine growers and producers around the clock.
National Wine Agency Chairman Levan Mekhuzla says that Georgia may face a challenging grape harvest season this year.
Georgia exported about 47.2 million bottles of wine to 47 countries in January-July of 2019, which is a 4% increase compared to the same period of 2018, announces the Georgian National Wine Agency. In the reporting period Georgia generated over $114.2 million from the sale of wine abroad – 6% increase year-on-year.
Over 230,000 tonnes of grape have been processed during the grape harvest of 2018 and the income of 22,000 grape growers exceeded over 300 million GEL, announces Agriculture Minister of Georgia Levan Davitashvili, who says this result is a record high.
Twelve different kinds of amber wines from Georgia, Japan, Croatia, New Zealand, Italy, and Slovenia were presented in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, where a special tasting of amber wines was held.
Over 6,000 tonnes of grapes have been processed in Kakheti region as of September 13.
The volume of grapes processed on a daily basis in Georgia has reached 9,000 tonnes in the past 24 hours, which is the highest rate of harvest over the last 30 years in Georgia’s grape-producing Kakheti region.
The wine-making sector is giving new energy to job creation and strengthening Georgian business, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia at a meeting with wine-makers earlier today.
Head of the Adjara region government Tornike Rizhvadze has announced that tangerines will be exported to new markets in several EU member states this year.