The global wine market is undergoing significant changes, creating new challenges for wine-producing countries worldwide. According to Mr. Songulashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, maintaining the competitiveness of Georgia`s wine industry in this changing environment will depend largely on the quality of its products.

The Minister noted that the global decline in wine consumption is affecting almost all wine-producing countries. Consequently, Georgia`s wine sector development policies must also adapt to this new reality.

"The wine sector is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in the world. Global wine consumption has fallen to one of its lowest levels since 1961, inevitably affecting wine-producing countries around the world, and we should be prepared for these challenges", - said David Songulashvili.

As he added, Georgian wine exports are currently stable, with modest growth also being recorded. However, the current situation requires the sector to reassess its development priorities and place an even stronger emphasis on quality.

"While Georgian wine exports remain stable and have even recorded modest growth, this does not lead us to underestimate the challenges ahead. Changes are inevitable, and to be prepared, it is particularly important to focus on wine quality. Alongside being the homeland of wine, we must also have a qualitative advantage… Ensuring the quality of Georgian wine begins in the vineyard, with the production of high-quality grapes. For this reason, the changes being implemented in the viticulture and winemaking sectors are a part of a unified development strategy.

This is one interconnected chain. If grape growers do not have sufficient incentive to produce high-quality grapes, winemakers will find it difficult to produce wine of the required quality. Currently, the environment has already changed, and we have reached a stage where quality is the main challenge. The decisions we have made are precisely addressing this challenge.

The key objective at this new stage in the development of Georgia’s viticulture and winemaking sector is to gradually transition from a volume-driven production model to one focused on quality. Ultimately, this shift will strengthen the competitiveness of Georgian wine in both the domestic and international markets", - said David Songulashvili.