The Chairman of the National Wine Agency, Levan Mekhuzla, spoke about the amendments made to the Law of Georgia “On Vine and Wine”.

As he noted, under one of the amendments to the law, all wine intended for commercial production, except for the “natural wine” category, has become subject to mandatory tasting.

“Georgia is the homeland of wine, which is not only a matter of pride but also a responsibility. That is precisely why it is important for Georgian wine to stand out for its authenticity and high quality. The existing quality control mechanisms, including the mandatory tasting system, serve to achieve this goal. There have been no substantial changes regarding the tasting. Since 2007, all Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) wines have been subject to tasting, and since 2017, all categories of export wines. Consequently, the latest legislative changes actually affect only those companies that neither exported nor produced PDO wines. By the most optimistic estimates, this accounts for about 5% of total production. The rest of the products were already undergoing organoleptic testing before this”, - said Levan Mekhuzla.

As for the exception provided by the law, the Chairman of the National Wine Agency explained that it is related to the production technology of natural wine.

“Natural wine is an authentic category, whose producers deliberately do not use modern additives. This method is closest to the winemaking tradition that existed in Georgia 8,000 years ago. This niche is particularly important for us. Natural wine may have certain specific characteristics and permissible deviations from standard parameters. That is why, as established in many countries, including France, natural wine carries appropriate labeling. This ensures both full traceability of the product by the regulatory body and an informed choice for the consumer”, - concluded Levan Mekhuzla.