Wine compliance in Georgia involves more than one authority. The National Wine Agency (Samtrest), a public legal entity under the Ministry of Agriculture, is the wine-specific regulator responsible for quality control, certification of compliance and origin, and state control of appellations of origin. The National Food Agency (NFA) oversees general food safety, and Sakpatenti, Georgia's National Intellectual Property Center, registers appellations of origin and geographical indications. For Georgian wineries, from large commercial operations in Kakheti to small family producers in Imereti and Kartli, meeting these obligations determines the ability to sell wine both domestically and internationally.
Registration and Food Safety
Georgian wineries operate under a registration and food-safety regime that typically involves:
- Business registration: registration as a food business operator, with facilities meeting sanitary and safety standards overseen by the National Food Agency
- Production capability: documentation of equipment, storage capacity, and processing capability
- Personnel: identification of responsible persons for production and quality control
- Product range: the wine types and categories the enterprise intends to produce
Recent amendments to the Law on Vine and Wine also introduced a state licensing requirement for new commercial vineyards, administered by the National Wine Agency. According to reporting on the 2026 amendments, the licensing rules apply to vineyards planted after 1 May 2026 and do not affect existing plantings; producers should confirm the current requirements directly with the National Wine Agency, as the framework is evolving.
Production Reporting
Wineries generate and maintain production data that supports the National Wine Agency's quality and origin controls, including:
- Harvest volumes: grape quantities received, by variety and origin
- Production volumes: wine produced, by type and classification
- Inventory reports: stocks held in cellar at specified reporting dates
- Sales and distribution: volumes sold domestically and exported
This information underpins the certification and appellation-control work of the National Wine Agency. Producers should confirm the specific reporting forms, channels, and deadlines that apply to them directly with the agency, since these requirements change over time.
Geographic Indication Certification
Georgia's appellations of origin are registered with Sakpatenti, the National Intellectual Property Center; as of recent counts, around 29 wine appellations are registered, alongside broader regional designations. Wines claiming a specific appellation, Mukuzani, Kindzmarauli, Tsinandali, Khvanchkara, and others, must meet the conditions defined for that designation, which generally address:
- Origin: grapes from the designated geographic zone
- Variety: compliance with permitted variety requirements for the designation
- Production method: adherence to defined winemaking practices (e.g., aging requirements)
- Analytical parameters: alcohol, sugar, acidity, and other parameters within specified ranges
- Sensory evaluation: tasting assessment
The National Wine Agency carries out state control of appellations of origin and certifies the compliance and origin of wines. Without meeting the registered conditions and obtaining the required certification, wines cannot legally use the appellation on their labels.
Export Documentation
For wineries exporting Georgian wine, certification typically involves more than one authority. The National Wine Agency issues certificates of compliance and origin for alcoholic beverages, while food-safety attestations fall under the National Food Agency. Documentation commonly required by importing countries includes:
- Certificate of origin: confirming the wine's Georgian provenance
- Health certificate: attesting to food safety compliance
- Analytical certificate: laboratory results for the exported lot
- Certificate for an appellation of origin: for wines claiming appellation status
Export market requirements vary. The EU, which signed a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Georgia, recognises Georgian geographical indications but requires standard import documentation. Other markets such as the US, China, and Japan have their own specific documentation requirements.
Simplifying Wine Compliance
The data that these authorities rely on, production volumes, origin documentation, analytical results, inventory reports, is the same data that competent winery management demands. The challenge for many Georgian producers is not generating this data, but organising it in a structured, accessible format.
Cepaos structures production records so that the information needed for certification and reporting is a natural output of daily operations. From grape reception to bottling, every production step is documented with the detail that registration, reporting, and certification demand. For Georgian wineries navigating both domestic compliance and international export requirements, this integrated approach reduces administrative burden while ensuring that documentation is always current and complete.
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