Apr 5, 2024

Georgia growers reject wine & grape marketing order

The Peach State’s wine producers have again failed to approve a new marketing order.

Only 39% voted in favor of passage, falling short of the required two-thirds needed for passage, according to an April 5 news release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The Georgia Wine & Grape Commission would have assessed wine produced by licensed Georgia wineries.

“Georgia wine producers failed to pass the Georgia Wine Commission’s proposed market order,” according a statement from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.

The failed proposal would have set assessment rates at 5 cents per liter on retail wine sales and 1 cent per liter on wholesale sales.

This is the second consecutive year the market order failed to pass.

In 2022, of the 58% of eligible growers who voted, only 38% voted in favor of the marketing order. The final rate would have been set by the members on the commission after establishing budgetary goals and priorities for the funds.

The Georgia Wine & Grape Commission, which was created by the Georgia General Assembly in 2019 at the request of the Georgia wine industry, proposed the marketing order to raise funds for research on grape and wine issues and promote Georgia wines.

Top photo: a south Georgia muscadine grape vineyard.