(RFERL) - Georgian officials say Moscow has so far granted nearly 40 wine companies permission to export their products to Russia. Levan Davitashvili, chief of Georgia's National Wine Agency, made the announcement to journalists in Tbilisi on March 6 following a visit to Georgia by inspectors from Russia's consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor. A second round of Russian inspections is expected to start on March 25. Russia imposed a ban on wine and mineral water imports from Georgia in 2006, citing quality concerns. At the time, Moscow-Tbilisi ties were strained because of Georgia's closer relations with West.