Georgia’s wine industry remains heavily dependent on imported bottles despite annual demand of around 300 million units, according to Otar Mumladze, head of Georgian Wine. Speaking to BMG on June 22, Mumladze called bottle shortages and limited access to production equipment among the biggest challenges facing Georgian winemakers. His full interview on the 300-million-bottle gap lands ahead of a domestic plastic-bottle ban set for July 1, 2026, adding fresh pressure to a supply chain that already runs on foreign glass. Mumladze urged the government to develop a long-term strategy that encourages local bottle manufacturing and reduces reliance on imports, and pointed to state-owned enterprises, including defense manufacturer Delta, as candidates to make winery equipment now imported from countries such as Italy.
The 300-Million-Bottle Gap
Mumladze put a number on the bottle shortage. Georgian winemakers consume roughly 300 million glass bottles a year for production and packaging, a volume that has outgrown domestic supply. The country doesn’t make enough of them at home.
The exact share of bottles imported versus produced locally hasn’t been quantified in public data. The country’s import bill, however, makes the shape of the dependency visible.
Imports Already Heading Up
Geostat’s trade figures show the import bill rising. Georgia imported glass bottles and other glass containers worth GEL 80 million in 2025, up from GEL 71.7 million in 2024, according to the numbers cited by BMG. The full-year totals, separately reported by Georgia Today, point to a more expensive product: 145,453 tons of glass bottles and jars worth $79.9 million in 2025, against 155,959 tons valued at $71.7 million the year before.
The same trend carried into 2026. In January, the average price of imported glass containers rose 32 percent year on year, even as import volume fell. Georgia imported 6,512 tons of glass bottles and jars worth approximately $4 million in January 2026. A year earlier, the same month brought 7,518 tons at $3.5 million.
Russia and Armenia sit at the top of the supplier list. In January 2026, Russia sent $2.3 million worth of glass containers (3,425 tons), followed by Armenia at $1 million (2,251 tons), with Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and China rounding out the top five. The fuller breakdown sits in Geostat’s January 2026 glass container price data.
| Supplier | January 2026 (tons) | January 2026 (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | 3,425 | $2.3 million |
| Armenia | 2,251 | $1 million |
| Ukraine | 375 | $276,500 |
| Azerbaijan | 273 | $138,200 |
| China | 102 | $105,000 |
The Defense-Manufacturer Pitch
Mumladze offered a starting point. He argued that Georgia has the capacity to produce some winery equipment domestically and pointed to existing state-owned enterprises, including defense manufacturer Delta, as candidates to make machinery now imported from countries such as Italy.
Bottle shortages and limited access to production equipment are among the biggest challenges facing winemakers.
The proposal is Mumladze’s, not a government plan. He framed it as part of a long-term strategy the government has yet to announce. He gave no timeline, budget, or production target in the interview.
Why Russia Adds a Second Squeeze
But the bottle question sits on top of a wine export market that is already under pressure. Russia, the largest buyer of Georgian wine, is also the country’s biggest glass-container supplier. The two roles are starting to collide.
Russia accounts for roughly 60 to 65 percent of Georgia’s total wine exports, Forbes reported on June 11, 2026, with the Russian share reaching about 66 percent by 2024. Russia’s National Statistics Office data cited in the same piece showed wine exports fell 15.8 percent in the first eight months of 2025, with shipments to Russia down 24 percent year over year after Moscow raised excise taxes on imported alcohol. The same Forbes account traced the dependency back to 2006, when Russia banned Georgian wine entirely, citing pesticide contamination. The embargo caused an immediate 50 percent loss in exports, and volume did not recover until 2013, the year Russia lifted the restrictions.
TBC Capital’s December 2025 industry overview puts the export decline in cash terms. Wine exports dropped 12 percent year on year to USD 189.9 million in the first nine months of 2025, while domestic demand has shrunk in parallel: the same study found consumption fell from nearly 79 million liters in 2016 to just over 31 million liters in 2024, with potential bottled wine consumption estimated at around 42 million bottles as household production declines. The figures come from a December 2025 industry overview of Georgian wine exports, and the Russian angle is detailed in Russia’s share of Georgian wine exports and the 2025 decline.
A Plastic Ban Closes In
On July 1, 2026, restaurants, cafes, and other public catering establishments in Georgia will be prohibited from serving beverages in plastic bottles, under rules reported by Georgia Today and Caspian Post. A broader restriction takes effect on February 1, 2027, when the production, import, and sale of beverages in plastic bottles for domestic consumption will largely be banned. Limited exceptions will cover bottled water in containers larger than three liters and other beverages above 20 liters, with possible exemptions for military and state use.
The shift is meant to push restaurants and consumers toward alternatives such as glass and aluminum. For an already import-heavy bottle supply chain, the timing is tight.
The Geostat data already captured some of the price pressure. Average glass-packaging prices rose by roughly 20 percent in 2025, even though tonnage fell. The January 2026 jump was sharper still, with the average unit price up 32 percent year on year.
Mumladze’s call to build domestic capacity sits inside that squeeze. With international suppliers raising prices and a domestic plastic ban days away, the case for local glass capacity builds, even if the policy response hasn’t arrived.
The Numbers Behind the Gap
The data points to an import dependency, not a domestic glass industry. Five sourced figures capture the shape of the gap. None of them show local glassmaking at any visible scale.
- Annual Georgian wine bottle demand: per Mumladze, BMG, June 22, 2026
- Glass container import value in 2025: GEL 80 million (Geostat via BMG)
- Glass container import value in 2024: GEL 71.7 million (Geostat via BMG)
- Glass bottle and jar imports in 2025: 145,453 tons worth $79.9 million (Geostat via Georgia Today)
- January 2026 average import price: up 32 percent year on year (Geostat via Georgia Today)
For related reading, see the UK’s 8 percent climb in Georgian wine imports and Georgia’s parallel move to tighten grape pricing rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Wine Bottles Does Georgia Need Each Year?
Otar Mumladze, head of Georgian Wine, put annual demand at around 300 million units in a June 22, 2026 interview with BMG. He described the figure as the working estimate of the industry’s packaging requirement and used it to press the case for local glassmaking.
Where Do Georgia’s Wine Bottles Come From?
Georgia’s wine sector brings in most of its bottles from abroad. Geostat data show glass container imports rose to GEL 80 million in 2025 from GEL 71.7 million in 2024. The top January 2026 suppliers were Russia at $2.3 million and Armenia at $1 million, followed by Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and China.
What Did Otar Mumladze Propose?
Mumladze called for a long-term government strategy to support local bottle manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports. He suggested state-owned enterprises, including defense manufacturer Delta, could help produce winery equipment now sourced from countries such as Italy.
What Changes on July 1, 2026?
Two dates drive the shift. From July 1, 2026, restaurants, cafes, and other public catering establishments in Georgia can’t serve beverages in plastic bottles. From February 1, 2027, the production, import, and sale of plastic-bottled drinks for domestic consumption will largely be banned, with limited exceptions for large containers and certain state uses.
Why Is This a Problem for Wine Producers?
Wine is bottled in glass, not plastic. With most of the country’s bottles already imported and import prices rising, the plastic-ban-driven shift toward glass and aluminum adds new demand to a supply chain Mumladze says is already short on capacity.
