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David Songulashvili: “Quality wine begins with a quality vineyard. A quality vineyard is impossible without proper site selection, soil analysis, and certified vine saplings.”
Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr David Songulashvili, emphasised the importance of ongoing reforms to improve wine quality.
According to the Minister, the measures planned in the reform are designed to support the production of high-quality wine. He emphasised that regulating the establishment of commercial vineyards will enhance the competitiveness of Georgian wine on international markets.
“Today, global wine consumption is at its lowest level since 1961, with the most significant decline occurring over the past decade. This indicates that competition in international markets has intensified considerably. In such conditions, quality becomes decisive. When we speak of Georgia’s 8,000-year winemaking tradition, Georgian wine must be associated with quality. For this reason, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, together with the National Wine Agency, is implementing a series of reforms.
Quality wine begins with a quality vineyard. A quality vineyard is impossible without proper site selection, soil analysis, and certified vine saplings. This has necessitated clearly defining where and under what conditions vineyards should be cultivated, including consideration of such critical factors as groundwater levels,” Mr David Songulashvili stated.
According to the Minister, viticulture and winemaking are among the leading sectors of the country’s agriculture, with wine being a key export product. Against this backdrop, it is fundamentally important to further improve wine quality and strengthen Georgia’s position in international markets.
“In addition, it is important for me to protect the efforts of our winegrowers. A producer who cultivates high-quality grapes should not operate under the same conditions as one producing lower-quality products. Therefore, we are adopting additional mechanisms, including organoleptic control, to ensure that only wine fully compliant with quality standards is exported. I am confident that this is the only way to further enhance the competitiveness of Georgian wine, enter new markets, and strengthen our existing positions,” Mr David Songulashvili stated.