"The quality of the vineyard has a great influence on the quality of the wine"

"The quality of the vineyard has a great influence on the quality of the wine. Often, the wine spoils in the vineyard," said Andro Gotsiridze, the founder of "Gotsiridze Winery", to "Business Press News" about the regulations introduced regarding the cultivation of a commercial vineyard.

As a reminder, from March 1, 2026, it will be mandatory to obtain a permit for the cultivation of a commercial vineyard. According to the amendments made to the law, if until now it was sufficient to use only the permitted grape varieties for cultivating a commercial vineyard, after the law comes into force, the approval of the National Wine Agency will be required.

According to the chairman of the National Wine Agency, Levan Mekhuzla, planting vineyards should not be spontaneous. According to him, a new price will appear for the next year's harvest - grapes with a sugar content lower than 17% will be delivered much cheaper.

As Andro Gotsiridze told "Business Press News", they really face problems in the field due to the chaotic development of vineyards.

"The quality of the vineyard is very high Lena affects the quality of wine. If the production of the cadastre of vineyards is regulated and comes under strict regulations, it will be positive for me personally.

First, the wine spoils in the vineyard. If the vineyard is not properly planted and cared for, the wine cannot be of high quality in any case. The only niche Georgian wine can occupy is the niche of high-quality wine. Because it cannot compete with the countries of the world.

Today in Georgia we have the following problem. These are hybrids, from which the production of wine on international markets is prohibited. It is often distilled into a safer or cabernet sauvignon, which is a variety included in the standard range. At this time, there is another species that does not need to be poisoned. Therefore, its cultivation is much easier. This happens when you need 6 or 7 times the colorant medication, which is much more expensive. When you give a hybrid instead of a varietal, consider that the quality of the wine is several times lower. spoils the wine too much. Then not anymore r competitive. Imagine, it costs me 3 GEL to grow Saperavi, it costs him 1 GEL without medication. With these prices, it turns out that my place is no longer on the market.

The second issue is the zoning of varieties. For example, Saperavi is good in Kakheti. Kakhuri Saperavi is a very high quality wine. Just as Kvanchkari type of wine is made from Alexandrouli and Mujuretuli only in Racha. Naturally, if a vineyard of the appropriate variety is planted in the appropriate area, it is not bad to control it. People learned that the wine produced in Khvanchkari is much more expensive, 8-9 GEL, than Saperavi, for example. They took it and planted Alexandrou and Mujuret in Kakheti as well. This cannot give you such a result, because it gives a good result there, in a suitable zone", said Gotsiridze.

According to him, it is also important here how limited the bureaucracy will be. This should not lead to price increases or any barriers that small entrepreneurs cannot overcome.

"There may be a license fee. If there is something like that, maybe It's problematic. It is necessary for the state to encourage small entrepreneurs in this regard. Please note that additional fees apply to pricing. The more you spend, the higher the price will be.

Enforcement mechanisms are up to the state and should not stifle business. Rather, it should be a business enabler. What I have told you, people do not do this because they are bad people, they do it because they do not have the appropriate knowledge. or lack the proper support and encouragement to grow a good vineyard. Also, the problem of foundations is very important. Because a vineyard selected on the wrong foundation does not turn out to be healthy. Some control is important here as well, but this control should not be based on Soviet methods, as it used to be, but business-oriented", Andro Gotsiridze says.

Source: bpn.ge