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The Government’s session adopts changes to the technical regulation “on defining General rules for producing grape origin spirits and the list of legal processes, materials and substances”
Today, at the session of the Government, the amendments to the technical regulation “on defining General rules for producing grape origin spirits and the list of legal processes, materials and substances” have been adopted. These amendments set forth that spirit content of wine shall be determined not less than 10, 5 %. Up to this moment, the respective data has stood at 9 %. The respective regulation does not relate to wines of appellations of origin, liqueurs, fortified, sparkling, aromatized, desert, Qvevri and ice wines, whose spirit content will remain at an incumbent data."Last year, after commencing the vintage, we announced that during the vintage of 2021, an oversight over the grape quality will be intensified in numerous directions. We launched communication liaison on these matters – from a very start of the year. Vineyards shall be of higher quality, grapes shall be collected in a conditional state, thus we will foster it unlike non-conditional grapes that constitute a bad quality wine material and has a negative impact on wine quality, as well as image. Nowadays, we have determined spirit content in each of the wine produced in Kakheti’s wine-making zones; we are fully aware of the climate in Kakheti, therefore, in case a wine has a low spirit content, then, it means that it hadn’t been produced from a high-quality grape. At other viticulture zones and grapes harvested there – spirit content will remain no later than 9, 0 %.” – Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili stated, after the Government’s session.
It shall be noted that throughout the years, grapes harvested in the Kakheti viticulture zone has demonstrated increased natural sugar content, which has resulted from the Climate Change in the same zone. Spirit composition of wine derives from the grape maturity, which is an indicator for sugar content. Therefore, it is desirable to increase a factual spirit content on Kakheti-harvested wine from 9 % to 10, 5 %. It shall be noted that in 2021, the quality of grapes accepted – will be strictly controlled, more specifically – sugar content, which has been set forth by the respective normative documentation. The requirements of the project do not relate to the wine produced before August 1, 2021, which will empower wine-makers to ensure realization of the respective wine, produced in compliance with an incumbent legislation.