The legal frame of winemaking in Georgia
The wine business in Georgia is not regulated by a single law: its legal frame unites several interconnected regimes. The central place belongs to the Code on Food/Animal Feed Safety, which determines the status of the business operator, the rules of labelling and the mechanisms of state control; the National Wine Agency is the specialized institution for the control of alcoholic beverages. This page explains what obligations a winemaker has at the stages of registration, labelling, control and export-import.
Registration as a business operator and recognition
The first step for every winemaker is the formalization of status. A business operator is obliged to carry out the registration of the relevant activity in the register of economic activities according to the procedure established by the legislation. In the case of the commencement, cessation of the activity and/or any change of registered data connected with it, the operator must apply to the National Agency of the Public Registry in order to make the change. Activity of a business operator without registration is prohibited — this rule applies to every participant of the wine industry.
Registration is complemented by the institution of recognition: recognition is mandatory for a business operator whose activity is connected with food of animal origin and certain other spheres, including those determined by a government resolution. Recognition is carried out by the agency according to the results of inspection, in accordance with the procedure approved by the government, and activity of an operator subject to recognition without recognition is prohibited. For food of animal origin the statute names exceptions requiring no recognition: family production, primary production, traditional methods, non-factory production in a high-mountain region, and direct supply to the final consumer by a small-business operator. The agency is also authorized, at the operator’s request, to recognize an activity not subject to mandatory recognition.
The labelling rules
Before wine is sold, the label is a decisive legal document. Under the code, food intended for sale, animals, plants, animal and plant products and other production must be labelled as the government prescribes. Wine and other alcoholic beverages of grape origin, however, are subject to a special rule — they must be labelled in accordance with the Law of Georgia on Vine and Wine. The conformity of a label with the requirements is established during state control.
One clear prohibition is especially significant: it is impermissible to indicate on the label of food or in an accompanying document any combination of the terms biological, ecological, eco, bio or organic, if the product does not conform to the bio-production rules established by the government and this conformity is not confirmed by a conformity certificate. A claim to organic wine without a certificate is prohibited by law.
National Wine Agency control and operator obligations
The specialized institution of state control in the sphere of alcoholic beverages is the public-law legal entity, the National Wine Agency. It is authorized to exercise state control at the stages of production and processing of alcoholic beverages, ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and distillate of agricultural origin in four forms: monitoring; documentary inspection; sampling and conducting examinations in an accredited laboratory; and issuance of a conformity certificate. A winemaker must thus be ready for all four forms of control at any time: monitoring may be continuous, and documentary inspection requires that every operation be documented.
In parallel, the code obliges the business operator to ensure the conformity of food with the requirements at the stages of production, processing and distribution. Where the operator has a substantiated doubt that food it produced or placed on the market does not conform to the requirements, it must immediately prevent its placing on the market or withdraw what has already been placed — and, where necessary, what has been supplied to the consumer — and report the measures immediately in writing to the agency. It is impermissible to place on the market production that does not satisfy the established requirements.
Export-import requirements
For wine export the main rule is this: production intended for export must satisfy the requirements of the importing country. For such export, the relevant agencies issue hygienic, veterinary and phytosanitary certificates, while the National Wine Agency issues a conformity certificate for alcoholic beverages, ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and distillate.
On the import side: production imported into Georgia must conform to the requirements defined by Georgian legislation; production re-exported from Georgia must conform to the requirements of the code, unless the receiving country requires otherwise. These norms oblige the exporter to study in advance the rules of the destination country.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most frequent questions on winery law.
How does a winemaker register as a business operator?
A business operator must register the activity in the register of economic activities; changes are made through the National Agency of the Public Registry. Activity without registration is prohibited.
May organic claims be made without a certificate?
No. Any combination of the terms biological, ecological, eco, bio or organic is impermissible unless the product conforms to the bio-production rules confirmed by a conformity certificate.
How does the National Wine Agency exercise control?
At the production and processing stages of alcoholic beverages, ethyl alcohol and distillates, in four forms: monitoring, documentary inspection, sampling with laboratory examination, and issuance of a conformity certificate.
What requirements apply to wine export?
Production intended for export must satisfy the requirements of the importing country; the National Wine Agency issues the conformity certificate for alcoholic beverages.
How We Help on Legal.ge
If you are building a wine business, register as a business operator, assess whether your activity requires recognition, observe the labelling rules for wine and do not use organic terminology without a certificate. The lawyers of Legal.ge will assist you at every stage — registration and recognition, label review and relations with the National Wine Agency. Submit a request on the site.