Levan Mekhuzla: The grapes used for winemaking must be uncompromisingly high quality

“Our main objective is to diversify the markets for Georgian wine and strengthen the reputation of Georgian wine internationally, which unconditionally means that the grapes used for winemaking must be of uncompromisingly high quality,” said the Chairman of the National Wine Agency, Levan Mekhuzla, while summarizing the 2025 grape harvest.

In Georgia’s wine-growing regions, nearly 336,000 tons of grapes were processed, which means that in 2025 the country recorded the highest and record-breaking harvest volume in the past 30 years. Across the country, around 22,000 grape-growing farmers delivered their harvest, with total income reaching 475 million GEL. Of this, the largest share — nearly 327,000 tons — came from Kakheti, which is also a record figure. Income from grape sales in Kakheti reached 432 million GEL. The grape harvest has been fully collected nationwide, except for the Lechkhumi region, where Rtveli will be completed in the coming days.

“Regarding quality, a very important decision was made — grapes of different quality categories have different prices. This price differentiation based on quality will remain in place next year and will become even stricter. Climatic conditions in Kakheti, particularly heavy rainfall, created certain challenges for grape quality, and the state had to accept some of the lower-quality grapes for distillation. However, the grapes received by the private sector for winemaking are of high quality,” said Levan Mekhuzla.

According to the decision of the Government of Georgia, this year excess grapes were purchased by the state-owned company ‘Harvest Management Company’ at differentiated prices based on quality:

• Saperavi grapes harvested in Kakheti — 1.50 GEL per kg

• Other winemaking grape varieties permitted under the Law of Georgia on Vine and Wine — 1.20 GEL per kg

• Non-standard, damaged, or diseased grapes — 1.00 GEL per kg.