Statement of the Georgian Sommelier Association

 

Statement of the Georgian Sommelier Association regarding the possible threat to Tvishi Wine as a result of the construction of Namakhvani HPP

 

The Georgian Sommelier Association (member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, A.S.I.), as an organization interested in the development and promotion of Georgian viticulture and winemaking, confirms the great importance in Georgian winemaking of the appellation of origin "Tvishi".

 

We believe that this important Georgian appellation may be threatened by a possible change in the microclimate caused by the construction of the Namakhvani HPP.

 

We welcome any new business project focused on the economic development of the country, including the increase of security and independence of the energy sector.

 

We cannot address geological and hydrological safety issues beyond our competence. At the same time, we naturally sympathize with and support the locals, who for centuries have been living in the areas which have been designated for the construction of power plant infrastructure. If construction is carried out, they will have to leave their native places forever.

 

The Georgian Sommelier Association demands that the research related to the Tvishi microzone be made public and that the Georgian society, including the representatives of the viticulture and winemaking sector, be fully informed about the possible results on the basis of its findings.

 

Representatives of the field, as well as the Georgian society, have a full and legitimate right to know what changes in the Tvishi microclimate are expected as a result of the construction of a hydropower plant complex, as well as what impact will it have on the Tvishi appellation, one of the most distinctive and unique in the country, and on local viticulture and the quality of the wine made from the grapes grown here.

 

Shalva Khetsuriani

President of the Georgian Sommelier Association

Founder of "Marani Khetsuriani"