Georgian PM: Wine-making sector giving new energy to job creation, strengthening Georgian business
In 2012-2013, 50,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested during the grape harvest but in 2019 the harvest amounted to 270,000 tonnes of grapes. Photo: Government's press office.
Tweet 
Share
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.
The purpose of the meeting with the wine-makers was to get acquainted with the problems in the field of wine-making and to come up with specific solutions.
In 2019 the harvest amounted to 270,000 tonnes of grapes. Photo: Government's press office.
Gakharia said that wine-making not only develops agriculture, but also has a huge impact on the economy in general.
Data from the first nine months of 2019 shows more than 60 million bottles of wine have been exported from Georgia.
In 2012-2013, 50,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested during the grape harvest but in 2019 the harvest amounted to 270,000 tonnes of grapes.
In the first nine months of 2019 more than 60 million bottles were exported from Georgia. Photo: Government's press office.
Gakharia noted that market diversification and improvement of wine quality are the most important issues.
The quality of Georgian wine starts from the quality of the grapes…there are many problems, but if we are pragmatic, objective and result-oriented, there should be no unresolved problems”, Giorgi Gakharia said.
Georgian Prime Minister Gakharia noted that wine-making is part of Georgian cultural identity and it is one of the top priorities for the Georgian economy.
The issue of wine-making was also discussed at today’s government meeting today, where the question of strengthening the capacity of wine laboratories to control the quality of wine was brought up.
The issue of credibility and quality control remains a challenge due to increased exports”, said the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili.
The issue of wine quality was dicussed at today's gov't meeting. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture.
In line with modern requirements, we are enhancing the capabilities of the laboratory ... the laboratory will be equipped with modern equipment ... the laboratory will be able to ... determine the origin of the wine ... We will take another important step towards Georgian wine verification and increase credibility", said Levan Davitashvili.
Georgia exported about 19.4 million bottles of wine to 37 countries in the first quarter (Q1) of 2019, which is a 10% increase compared to the same period of 2018, announces the Georgian National Wine Agency.
Georgia received 16% more in revenue from the export of wine in the first nine months of 2019 in comparison to the same period last year, the Georgian National Wine Agency reports.
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.
5,500 tonnes of grapes have been processed in Kakheti region as of September 2.
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.
Georgian wine was presented at Ghvino Forum of America, 2019 which recently took place in Boston, USA on October 27-29.
A predictable, stable and positive business and economic environment will be crucial for the Georgian government for the next year, said the Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia at a meeting with the members of the Business Association of Georgia earlier today.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has urged Finance Minister Ivane Matchavariani to consider the possibility of decreasing the foreign currency lending threshold from 200,000 GEL ($67,168.2/€60,687) to 100,000 GEL ($33,584.1/€30,343.5) at the government meeting earlier today.
Georgia is getting ready for the major grape harvest season during which more than a hundred thousand tonnes of grapes will be picked, packed and sold locally or exported. Traditionally, the wine harvest begins in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions – Kakheti, Imereti and Racha.
The government of Georgia will subsidise the 2020 grape harvest, especially grape varieties of Rkatsiteli and Kakhuri Mtsvane in order to support farmers completely sell their produce, announces Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia.
The grape harvest season is picking up steam in the Georgian winemaking region of Kakheti, where 200 tonnes of grapes have already been processed as of August 26, announces the Georgian National Wine Agency.