The Natural Wine Association welcomes new wineries each year that share its vision and philosophy of natural wine. Beginning in 2026, applicants must comply with several new rules designed to ensure alignment with the Association’s organic viticulture and natural wine standards.

For several years the Association has required prospective members to sign a membership agreement. By signing, candidates commit to promoting the development of natural viticulture and winemaking in Georgia and to following the Association’s core principles and guidelines if accepted. From the outset, candidates are informed in detail about the terms of the agreement they will sign after successfully completing a two-year inspection period and becoming full members of the Association.

The agreements to be concluded with both membership candidates and current members are public and are uploaded to the Association’s website at www.nwa.ge. This ensures that the content of those agreements, and the principles and standards the Association has followed since its founding, are accessible and clear to anyone interested.

There is an open‑door period through April 1, 2026, during which candidates may complete the application form and apply for membership. Candidates must fully complete the application available on the Association’s official website (Appendix 2) and send it to the Association’s email address listed on the site ([email protected]). If a different address is shown on the website, applicants should use that address. Applications submitted after March will not be considered for this year’s intake; they will be reviewed in 2027.

Starting in 2026, candidates must submit, along with their application, recommendations from at least three Association members who have visited the candidate’s vineyard(s) and cellar and are familiar with their vineyard care and winemaking practices. Candidates must also provide a motivation letter explaining why they want to join the Association and what they expect from membership.

Recommendations increase a candidate’s credibility and help streamline the inspection process. The Association’s inspection team schedules an inspection promptly after receiving an application and completes the review within a two‑year period. Since 2024, inspections for membership candidates have been biennial and include at least two mandatory on‑site visits to the candidate’s vineyards and cellar to assess current practices. Beginning in 2026, candidates who hold a bio certificate issued in Georgia by Caucascert will undergo a shortened, one‑year inspection before joining.

The Association does not accept winemakers who lack a grape‑bearing vineyard or winegrowers who lack a cellar. A candidate must own at least 1,000 sq. m. of productive vineyard and a cellar. Ownership must be documented with extracts from the public register. Ownership recorded in the name of immediate family members (parents, siblings, spouse, or children) is acceptable if the candidate submits written consent from the registered owner authorizing the candidate to join the Association.

The Association strictly prohibits parallel production in both viticulture and winemaking. Candidates must not maintain a separate conventional (non‑organic) vineyard alongside an organic one, nor process wine by industrial methods in addition to producing natural wine.

After signing the membership agreement, members are required to keep detailed records of vineyard maintenance and cellar operations. Vineyard records must document all work performed (including pruning, harvesting, cultivation, weeding, spraying, etc.) and must list the products used and their doses. Records should be dated, clear, and retained for the period specified by the Association to support inspections and traceability.

Most importantly, candidates must maintain their vineyard(s) and store wine in the cellar in accordance with the rules set out in the membership agreement. The Association may terminate the inspection during the first year and refuse membership if the inspection reveals critical non‑compliance, such as the use of prohibited substances in the vineyard (for example, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or systemic pesticides) or the addition of industrial additives or flavorings to wine, practices that contradict the principles of natural viticulture and winemaking.

After the two‑year inspection period is complete, the Association’s inspection team prepares a report on the candidate and submits it to the founders for a membership decision. If the founders vote to accept the candidate, a membership agreement will be signed. The candidate becomes a member of the Association from the moment the membership agreement is signed.