Meskhetian Terrace Celebrates First Grape Harvest in 400 Years

The company Vardzia Terraces has harvested the first vintage of a rare variety of grapes in the Meskheti area of southern central Georgia. The winery hosted a small celebratory festival that included rides in classic cars – “Peaks of Caucasus” pilots, local residents and journalists.

In modern Georgia, the major wine producing region is Kakheti, but traditionally the Meskheti region was also known for its wine. Many centuries ago, viticulture was well developed, but by the end of the 16th century, the practice was abandoned in the Meskhetian Terrace area, and traditional local grape varieties were nearly lost to history.

In 2015, the joint efforts of Georgian businessmen Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze and Meskhetian grape collector Giorgi Natenadze, resurrected the terraces of the storied King/Queen Tamar (c. 1160-1213) in the village of Khizabavra, Georgia. After years of hard work, 12 hectares of historical terraces have been restored, where 24 rare varieties of Meskhetian vine were planted. There are plans to plant an additional 11 hectares in the area, according to Vardzia Terraces Executive Director Giorgi Mshvidobadze.

Levan Ujmjuridze and Giorgi Natenadze have revived more than 20 varieties of grapes at the Saguramo Scientific Research Center. The new varieties of Vardzia Terraces began with such unique varieties as “Tamar Vazi," “Jvari,” “Meskhi Green,” “Meskhuri Oval White,” “Black Oval,” “Meskhi Horse White,” "Meskhetian Chitiskarskheta," "Horseshoes of Black Horse," "Akhaltsikhe White," and "Black Aspiring Cap."

Next year, the company plans to work on restoring the region's traditional architecture to reposition the area as ian integral part of Georgian winemaking and enhance the development of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region as a tourist destination.

By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: Caucasus Business Week