Tbilisi (GBC) - The parliament approved the planned amendments to the Law “On Vine and Wine” on June 9, in the third reading, with 75 votes to one. The legislative initiative prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture envisages several important reforms in the sector.

According to the adopted draft law, the definition of a “small wine cellar” is changed and its maximum annual production limit is reduced from 40,000 liters to 25,000 liters.

With the legislative change, the term “home wine” will be replaced by the term “natural wine”. This status envisages the production of products without the use of systemic pesticides, herbicides and other chemical synthetic agents.

The draft law makes it mandatory to label certified alcoholic beverages, which will be implemented by the National Wine Agency in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

In addition, under the new regulation, all categories of wine intended for both export and sale on the local consumer market will be subject to mandatory organoleptic testing. This obligation will not apply only to “natural wine”.