What is the better way to understand the hidden mysteries of vineyards and wine than to visit Georgia – the Cradle of Wine, in Autumn? Autumn means harvest time in Georgia..
Let’s start from the beginning
Georgian winemaking traditions, stretches back over 8,000 years of history. The diversity of terroirs and variety of vines on such a small territory makes Georgia a unique place, where the tastes of many different sorts of amazing wine have yet to be discovered.
According to archaeological evidence, the first Georgian wines were made and stored in earthenware vessels called Qvevri (or kvevri). The qvevri is Georgia’s most important and best-known winemaking vessel, and it remains the centerpiece of traditional winemaking in Georgia..
Let’s move on to Rtveli
It’s not possible to state an exact date for the harvest; it depends on what the weather has been for the previous year. But, generally, the grape harvest in Georgia takes place between late September to mid-October.
The main thing in Rtveli is that people gather to pick grapes, which they took care of the whole year and so that is the time they see what came out of those many hours of working in vineyards and carefully pruning the vines and other stuff. It all requires a lot of work throughout the whole year.
Every Rtveli is completed with a “Supra” (Georgian feast). After grapes are collected, they are put into “Satsnakheli”, an alongated wooden vessel, where the wine-maker presses the grapes with his feet. The traditional rule requires that juice, seeds, grape skins, spouts, and branches are all fermented together in Qvevri.
The tradition of Qvevri wine-making defines the lifestyle of local communities and forms an inseparable part of their cultural identity and inheritance, with wine and vines frequently evoked in Georgian oral traditions and songs.
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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. It is scientifically proven that Georgia is the homeland of wine with eight thousand years of wine history and about five hundred local vine varieties.