“The Wonder of the World’s Oldest Wine” – Michael Cecire

Georgian wine has been becoming more and more popular and famous almost every day all over the world.

The best-known region of Georgia for wine production is Khaketi, in Southern Georgia.

These days there are over 500 species of grape being grown in Georgia. From those only 40 species are used in commercial wine production. Foreign magazines and journals often write about Georgian heritage and wine.

Various events and activities are frequently planned in other countries in order to develop Georgian wine and make it more well-known.

Georgia has more species of indigenous grape and a longer wine heritage than any other country in the world.

Michael Hikari Cecire wrote about Georgian wine recently and called his article “The Wonder of the World’s Oldest Wine”. Cecire is a Black Sea regional analyst and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research institute.

Michael wrote “Georgia is the birthplace of wine. According to recent archeological evidence, proto-Georgian inhabitants cultivated grapes and made wine as far back as 6000 BC. Some linguists even suggest the Georgian word for wine, ghvino, is what gave wine its name. Just as striking, many of the same methods that early Georgians used to make their wine — such as using wax-lined earthenware vessels known as qvevri buried in the ground — are traditions that continue even today.

Qvevri winemaking is not only historically interesting (UNESCO recognized it in its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2013), but is increasingly dealing shocks to oenophiles for the complexity and varied tones of its wines.Georgia’s wine is not only the national drink of choice, but a symbol of Georgian identity and civilizational continuity. There are not many places where grapes are seen tended and growing in central districts, on apartment block balconies, in storefronts, and even from dingy iron-doored garages, but the Georgian capital Tbilisi is festooned with vines. Almost every family, it seems, grows grapes and makes their own wine. Indeed, some of the very best vintages in Georgia may never come from a decanter, but from the spout of a repurposed Fanta bottle drawn from a makeshift marani, or rustic Georgian wine cellar.

“Georgian wine is more than a timeless elixir or a hot international trend, but a very symbol of Georgian independence and, to no small degree, an actual, working fulcrum upon which some elements of its sovereignty may rest. But the good news is that we can do our part to help by simply picking up a bottle of a crisp tsinandali white or a deep redsaperavi. Try several, find some that are yours, and discover a new perspective on wines from the oldest of the old world.Georgian wine is not all that hard to find anymore. But to be sure, the Georgian Wine House is a great place to start to find the local retailers or online vendors that work best for you: http://www.georgianwinehouse.com/.”

Anyone wishing to learn more about the wonders of Georgian Wine making should visit Georgia and taste the wine right where it is made!

Nina Ioseliani