Georgia – The Birthplace of Wine The history of Georgian wine begins 8000 years back — three thousand years before mankind came up with writing and five thousand years prior to the beginning of the Iron Age. Georgia has prided itself on high quality wine production and defined itself as a cradle of wine for centuries, but it was only recently that latest archeological findings and material evidence proved it all as truly authentic. Archeological excavations in the Shulaveri Valley (60 km from Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia) discovered cultivated grape seeds and a clay vessel (used for wine fermentation and storing), dating back to 6000 BC. In addition to the oldest known scientific proof of wine creation, Georgian culture has proved its authenticity by several other astonishing facts, such as 525 out of 4000 grape varieties in the whole world being Georgian, having all unique Qvevri wine-making technique that can only be found within the country, Georgian alphabet letters being modeled after the shape of the vine shoots and many more. According to one of the oldest Georgian traditions, soldiers wove a piece of grapevine into the chain mail protecting their chests, so when they died in battle, a vine would sprout not just from their bodies, but from their hearts. The ancient traditions of vine growing and winemaking in Georgia have even been mentioned in the oldest works of Apollonius of Rhodes and Homer. Western word “wine” most likely also came from the Georgian word – “Gvino”. The Qvevri Winemaking Method Qvevri wine-making technique is a unique Georgian traditional winemaking method practiced throughout the country, particularly in the villages where unique grape varieties are grown. Qvevri is an egg-shaped clay vessel that is almost completely buried underneath the ground, leaving only the top part of the vessel above the ground. It is usually used for making, ageing and storing wine. The wine-making process involves crushing the grapes into the clay vessel and letting the wine material ferment with the skins, stalks and pips inside the Qvevri during 5 to 6 months. Clay is a perfect material for wine as it provides stable temperature underneath the ground, allows the wine to breathe through the clay pores and the egg-like shape causes all the sediments to sink down to the bottom, leaving perfectly clear wine at the top. Knowledge of Qvevri production and wine-making is passed down by families, neighbors, friends and relatives, allowing the next generations to save and protect the unique winemaking technology as a treasure that belongs to the whole mankind. In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Qvevri clay vessels to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List.
