If you decide to add Georgia as your new travel destination to offer, the first thing you will learn about it is that Georgia is a wine country. Georgian viticulture is highly developed, and here you can find as many as 450 high-quality Georgian grape varieties, but is that enough to call it wine country? Let’s find out.
In this blog, we will talk about all the facts that make Georgia recognized as a homeland of wine.
Georgians are the ancient winemakers
The world scientific community recognized that the ancient traces of winemaking were discovered on the territory of Georgia country, from where it spread throughout the world and had a great impact on the formation of agriculture, folk culture, biology, medicine, and civilization in general.
The first evidence of Georgian winemaking
Several decades ago, in Kvemo Kartli, south of Tbilisi, in the Marneuli Valley, archaeologists discovered a VI millennium BC. grains of the vine. According to morphological and ampelographic signs, it is attributed to the vine cultivar, Vitis Vinifera Sativa. In addition, scientists have studied several fragments of clay pots, found in the same area, in Georgia.
Archaeologists excavating in Georgia.
Stephen Batiu Photography
An ancient pitcher was discovered during the archeological excavations in Georgia.
Scientists confirm Georgia is a wine country
Researchers at the University of Milan, led by Osvaldo-Failla, have reconstructed the BC. VI millennium climate and confirmed that in Kvemo Kartli 8000 years ago there were appropriate conditions for vine cultivation.
Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of calcium salt of tartaric acid on clay vessels. The only source of tartaric acid on the walls of the ceramic material could have been wine or grape juice.
Georgian wine uniqueness
An ancient method of Georgian winemaking
The uniqueness of Georgian viticulture lies in the secret of its making process, which dates back to ancient times. Unlike most Old World wines, Georgians do not use oak barrels to ferment, store or age their wines. In fact, the oldest evidence of winemaking points to the use of “Qvevri”.
What is Qvevri?
The Qvevri is an egg-shaped earthenware vessel used for making, aging, and storing wine.
Traditional Georgian winemaking involves crushing grapes and placing the grape juice, along with the grape skins, stems, and pips, into clean Qvevri lined with beeswax for fermentation.
Georgian winemakers clean and re-line their Qvevri between uses. From there, naturally occurring yeasts from the grape skins cause fermentation, and the tannins present in grape seeds and skins impede spoilage.
Georgian traditional winemaking method is included in UNESCO world heritage list.
Marani - a wine cellar
The Georgian Wine cellar is used for keeping and protecting wine from potentially harmful external influences, providing darkness, constant low temperature, and proper humidity.
It is an integral part of ancient winemaking traditions and is a very important and valuable place for the Georgian people.
Georgia is a harbor of natural wines
Another reason why Georgia is called a wine country is that Georgian wine is natural and In Georgia, producing wine naturally isn’t just another buzzword led by a market trend.
All this is due to the ancient tradition of its production because thanks to its chemical compounds and porous properties, the pitcher itself aids natural fermentation. Therefore, Georgian wine do not require additional chemicals.
Nowadays, over 60 winemakers are members of the Natural Wine Association, a union of wine producers who only follow organic or biodynamic methods.
Georgia viticulture regions
We continue to substantiate why Georgia is the homeland of wine and the next point is the viticulture regions of the country. There are about 6 wine regions in Georgia, but today we will talk about two main regions: Kakheti and Kartli.
Wine region – Kakheti
The engine of the Georgian viticulture industry is Kakheti region. It is one of the most important wine regions in Georgia. Approximately, three-quarters of the vineyards of Georgia wine country are cultivated here and it is often referred to as the cradle of wine. The region cultivates indigenous grape varieties such as white Kakhuri Mtsvane, etc.
Wine region – Kartli
Kartli is another distinct winemaking region in the central-eastern part of Georgia wine country, and it is well-known for its high-quality European style and sparkling wine. The region is famous for its Atenuri PDO, which is produced in one of the oldest areas, known since the middle ages, and is distinguished by its uniqueness and different tastes.
Wine Tourism in Georgia
We went through all the main aspects of what makes Georgia a wine country, in addition, extensive wine history, culture, and gastronomy make it extremely attractive for international visitors. This hidden gem of the wine world is now accessible for travelers and wine lovers to discover ancient traditions of winemaking through Georgian wine regions.
Georgia wine country has almost 400 different types of grapes, however, only 38 are grown for commercial winemaking. You may think which of the many species are the ones that stand out the most in Georgia. Here are the top 5 most popular wines in Georgia:
- Saperavi is Georgia’s leading red grape variety. Bold and fruity with strong acidity, it can be made into dry or semisweet wine.
- Kindzmarauli is one of the most well-known Georgian wines. This is a authentic naturally semi-sweet wine.
- Chinuri means “excellent” or “the best.” It has high acidity and is made into sparkling wine.
- Kisi yields straw-colored wines that offer flavors of pear, apricot and green tea.
- Mtsvane Kakhuri is used for high-quality dry wine in the Manavi appellation. It also gets blended with Rkasiteli in the wines of Tsinandali.
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In the Footsteps of Georgian Wine
Wine is the most diverse product in the world. Many types of wine can be tasted in different countries, but if we go deeper into the beginning of this noble liquid, we will definitely come to Georgia.