Georgian Wine Law: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) System

Georgia's wine law emerged from the post-Soviet reconstruction of the 1990s, when the newly independent state needed to formalise what had for millennia been an oral and communal tradition. The foundational Law on Vines and Wine was enacted on June 30, 1998, and was followed in 1999 by the Law on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications, drafted in conformity with EU legal principles. In 2004, Georgia acceded to the WIPO-administered Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin. A bilateral agreement with the EU on the protection of geographical indications entered into force in 2012, and the broader EU-Georgia Association Agreement, signed in 2014, required further harmonisation of Georgian IP law with EU standards. The Law on Vines and Wine has been amended multiple times since, with major revisions in 2002, 2005, 2011, and 2017.

• Law on Vines and Wine enacted June 30, 1998; Law on Appellations of Origin and GIs enacted June 22, 1999
• Georgia joined the Lisbon Agreement for international appellation protection in 2004
• The EU-Georgia GI protection agreement entered into force in April 2012; the full Association Agreement was provisionally applied from September 2014
• Soviet collectivisation disrupted regional wine identities; post-1991 legislation reconstructed and formalised those traditions into a legal PDO framework

Georgia's wine regions are shaped by the Caucasus Mountains and the contrast between its eastern and western climatic envelopes. The country has several distinct viticultural zones: Kakheti in the east, Kartli in the centre, Imereti and Racha-Lechkhumi in the west, and smaller coastal areas including Adjara and Samegrelo. Total vineyard area is approximately 55,000 hectares, with Kakheti accounting for around 76.7% of that area, Imereti for 14.6%, Kartli for 4%, and Racha-Lechkhumi for 1.7%. The Alazani River Valley in Kakheti provides the core of PDO production, with soils dominated by alluvial clay and loam over calcareous subsoils, and outcrops of slate and schist distinguishing individual appellations. Western regions receive significantly higher rainfall and are more influenced by Black Sea humidity, favouring varieties like Tsolikouri and Tsitska.

• Total Georgian vineyard area is approximately 55,000 hectares, down from Soviet-era peaks of 100,000-120,000 hectares
• Kakheti accounts for roughly 76.7% of vineyard area and 70-80% of national wine production, according to Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson in The World Atlas of Wine
• Western regions including Imereti and Racha receive considerably more rainfall and maritime influence than the continental eastern zone
• Soils across Kakheti PDO zones include alluvial clay, loam, calcareous subsoils, and localised outcrops of slate and schist that distinguish individual microzones

Georgia's PDO system is built around indigenous varieties, of which over 500 exist domestically and approximately 40 are in commercial use. Rkatsiteli is the most widely planted variety, dominating Kakhetian white wine production and forming the base of appellations such as Tsinandali, Gurjaani, and Vazisubani; it is frequently blended with up to 15-20% Kakhuri Mtsvane to add aromatic lift. Saperavi is the primary red variety, naturally teinturier with deep colour and firm tannin, underpinning dry PDOs such as Mukuzani and Napareuli, as well as naturally semi-sweet styles like Kindzmarauli and Akhasheni. In western Georgia, Tsolikouri produces the naturally semi-sweet white Tvishi PDO in Lechkhumi, and Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli are the permitted varieties for the renowned Khvanchkara PDO from Racha. Amber wines, produced through extended skin contact in qvevri, represent a legally recognised style within the Georgian system.

• Rkatsiteli is Georgia's most planted variety; Tsinandali PDO is a dry white blend of Rkatsiteli with up to 15% Kakhuri Mtsvane
• Mukuzani PDO mandates 100% Saperavi, dry-fermented, and is one of Georgia's most structured and age-worthy red appellations
• Kindzmarauli PDO produces naturally semi-sweet Saperavi from the Kvareli district of Kakheti; Khvanchkara PDO in Racha uses Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli
• The OIV formally recognised skin-contact white wine as a distinct category in 2017, providing international legitimacy for Georgia's traditional amber wine style

Georgian wine law establishes a tiered classification based on geographic precision and production standards. Table wines and regional wines sit at the base, with voluntary certification available. Above these are wines with Geographical Indication (PGI), and at the apex are wines with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), also referred to as wines with Appellation of Controlled Origin, for which certification is mandatory. The PDO specification for each appellation, registered with Sakpatenti, defines permitted grape varieties, the specific zone boundaries, maximum yields, fermentation method requirements, and labelling obligations. Georgian law permits the use of up to 15% of grapes from another specific zone within the same broad viticulture region in PDO wines. Appellation wines must be certified before sale, including sensory evaluation; wines destined for export also undergo degustation as part of the certification process. Compliance with production specifications is enforced by the National Wine Agency.

• Georgia protects two types of geographical indication: PDO (Appellation of Origin) and PGI, both modelled on EU legal principles, as established in the 1999 law
• Certification is mandatory for all PDO wines; voluntary for table and regional wines; export wines require sensory degustation as part of the certification process
• Sakpatenti, Georgia's National Intellectual Property Center, is the registration body for all GIs; the National Wine Agency enforces production standards and conducts state control
• Up to 15% of grapes from another specific zone within the same broad viticulture region is permitted in PDO wines, provided varieties are of the same colour and species
• Labels of Georgian wines must be in the Georgian language, or in a foreign language alongside Georgian, with additional export label information permitted under importing country requirements

The 18 Georgian wine appellations protected under the EU Association Agreement are concentrated in Kakheti, with individual zones in Kartli, Imereti, and Racha-Lechkhumi. Well-known Kakhetian PDOs include Tsinandali (dry white from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane), Mukuzani (dry oak-aged Saperavi), Kindzmarauli (naturally semi-sweet Saperavi), Napareuli (dry red and white), Akhasheni (naturally semi-sweet Saperavi), Vazisubani (dry white Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane blend), Gurjaani (dry white Rkatsiteli), and Kvareli (dry Saperavi). In western Georgia, Khvanchkara from Racha is one of the most celebrated appellations, producing naturally semi-sweet red wine from Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli. Tvishi in Lechkhumi produces naturally semi-sweet white from Tsolikouri. Sviri in Imereti produces dry white blends. Together, these appellations each stipulate a single primary wine style, so that a PDO name on a label signals both geographic origin and a defined stylistic expectation.

• 18 Georgian wine appellations are protected in the EU under the 2014 Association Agreement; as of April 2025, the total registered PDO count has grown to 30
• Kakheti contains approximately 20 of Georgia's PDO appellations; the Alazani Valley, flanked by the Caucasus to the north and Gombori range to the south, is the geographic core
• Each Georgian PDO is typically centred on a single primary wine style, linking geographic name directly to varietal and stylistic expectation
• Western Georgian PDOs, including Khvanchkara (Racha) and Tvishi (Lechkhumi), produce naturally semi-sweet wines from varieties not found in the Kakhetian PDO zones

The qvevri, Georgia's traditional buried clay fermentation vessel, is central to the country's wine identity and is legally recognised within the PDO framework. In 2013, UNESCO inscribed the traditional Georgian qvevri winemaking method on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 2021, the qvevri itself received Protected Geographical Indication status, legally establishing Georgia as its place of origin and codifying specifications for its shape, capacity, raw materials, and production method. Wine tourism is centred on Kakheti, where visitors can participate in the Rtveli harvest, typically beginning in September, and observe qvevri fermentation at family estates and established wineries. The National Wine Agency supports wine tourism development as part of its core mandate, and Georgia's supra feast culture, with its tamada (toastmaster) tradition, provides an immersive social context for understanding how specific PDO wines relate to regional cuisine and customs.

• UNESCO inscribed the Georgian qvevri winemaking method on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013; the qvevri itself received Protected Geographical Indication status in 2021
• Rtveli, the traditional grape harvest, begins in September in Kakheti and is central to both wine tourism and local cultural identity
• Wine tourism development is an explicit mandate of the National Wine Agency of Georgia, which promotes qvevri traditions alongside modern cellar infrastructure
• Georgia's supra feast culture, centred on the role of a tamada, integrates wine consumption with ceremonial toasting, regional dishes such as pkhali and khachapuri, and community ritual