Family Wine Business in Dedoplitskaro Expands with EU Support

A family wine cellar, farmers’ consultation center and degustation hall was opened in the Dedoplistskaro municipality in the southeastern corner of Georgia. The local family business will produce high-quality organic wine incorporating European standards into Georgian traditional methods. The company, Nasarashvili Marani, is owned and operated by Davit Nasarashvili, a local farmer with 10 years of experience in wine making and viticulture, planting vineyards and applying different methods of wine making. He owns seven hectares of vineyards, with eight different varieties of grapes.

The project is supported by the EU’s Rural Development Project, ENPARD. The newly expanded business will create 12 permanent and 20 seasonal jobs. ENPARD in Dedoplitskaro is implemented by the Swiss organization Heks-Eper. Within the scope of the project, they purchased modern equipment for the Nasarashvili Marani as part of a co-finance grant worth 29,936 GEL.

Nasarashvili had been long wanted to take the lead in popularizing old Georgian wine varieties, such as Khikhvi, Kisi, Zhgia, Shavkapito, along with providing advisory services to winemakers, says ENPARD Georgia. Initially, Nasarashvili plans to sell his European and traditional wine only locally. After receiving bio-certification, he will export to European countries as well.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: ENPARD Georgia