David Songulashvili: "High-quality grapes naturally lead to the creation of premium wine, which unmistakably ensures expanded opportunities for export."

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. David Songulashvili, visited the harvest coordination headquarters in Gurjaani. He was joined by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze. The Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Shalva Papuashvili, also attended. Together, the high-ranking officials received detailed information about grape harvesting and storage in the Kakheti region.

According to the Minister, the harvest in Kakheti is proceeding smoothly, consistently, and successfully.

"It was very important to set different prices for high-quality and lower-quality grapes. This step enabled the delivery of high-quality grapes, even in challenging weather conditions. Wineries and wine cellars are fully prepared. The grape harvest process continues without interruption, in a consistent and successful manner. Every winemaker has the opportunity to deliver high-quality grapes, which in turn help produce high-quality wine. This guarantees greater export potential, the conquest of new markets, and more competitiveness. Altogether, this aids the development of the country’s economy," Mr. David Songulashvili stated.


As of September 24, the amount of processed grapes in the Kakheti region reached 110,000 tonnes. This set a record daily processing volume during this year’s harvest season—up to 14,000 tonnes.

Currently, grape storage is underway in almost all municipalities of the Kakheti region. The exception is Sagarejo, where the grapes are ripening relatively late. Nearly 9,000 grape growers have already delivered grapes to the wineries.

 

Of the grapes processed by wineries, up to 52,000 tonnes are Rkatsiteli, around 50,000 tonnes are Saperavi, and the remainder consists of various other grape varieties.