The Government of Georgia Reviews and Approves Amendments to the Law of Georgia on Vine and Wine
The Government of Georgia has reviewed and approved a draft law on amendments to the Law of Georgia on Vine and Wine. The purpose of the draft law is to promote the production of high-quality, competitive alcoholic beverages of grape origin, as well as to support compliance with the requirements of both local and international markets for their sale, according to information released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
The draft law on amendments to the Law of Georgia on Vine and Wine will regulate rules related to vineyard establishment, product labeling, bottling in consumer packaging, and record-keeping.
In recent years, interest in the viticulture and winemaking sector has increased significantly, as reflected in the intensive establishment of new vineyards.
It is noteworthy that in some cases vineyards have been planted with grape varieties that are not permitted for the relevant viticulture zones and sub-zones, or with seedlings produced in non-certified nurseries. This subsequently causes problems both in grape production and marketing, as well as in wine production.
Under the new regulation, the establishment of commercial vineyards will require prior approval, which will be issued by the National Wine Agency of Georgia.
Given the increase in vineyard areas and, accordingly, grape yields, the amendments stipulate that, in order to ensure the high quality of wines and spirits with protected designation of origin, alcoholic beverages bearing a designation of origin must be produced exclusively from grapes harvested in the microzone specified in the production specification of the respective wine and/or spirit.
The amendments also introduce mandatory requirements for all wine companies to comply with record-keeping and notification obligations related to technological processes in viticulture and winemaking practices.
The draft law will be submitted to the Parliament of Georgia for adoption. The draft was prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
