The Birthplace of Wine

8000 Years in the Republic of Georgia

In 2012, I was part of a team that went to Tbilisi at the request of Georgians who were interested in agricultural ways forward at that time, which was very difficult for farmers there. Why? Russia had placed an embargo on their products.

That’s a quick set-up for how I ended up in the land of 8000+ vintages of wine. I had no idea of Georgia’s wine history, but when I landed at the airport, I quickly learned of it and that Georgians identify themselves, in part, as winemakers and wine drinkers.

Here are some photos and perspectives on Georgian wine and farming from that trip:

8000 vintages.  200+ native grape varieties.  400+ total grape varieties. Not France.  Not Italy.  Not Spain.  Yes, evidence, thus far, shows that the Republic of Georgia is where wine was first produced.

Georgian supra is a feast, sometimes celebratory and festive and sometimes somber, that is perhaps what holds the nation’s social fabric together.  I was blessed to experience a wonderful meal of friendly spirit, laughter, and smiles, as well as tears in the corner of eyes as my hosts sang ballads honoring fallen heroes and their patria.

Much food and wine was shared hand-in-hand with new friendships.  I will never forget it, and can only hope to enjoy future supras, not only in the Republic of Georgia, but anywhere I may be, including my home, where I will host you.

pork and beef cooked over grape vines

Georgian Supra Setting

sheep and cow cheeses, barbecued trout, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and genuine Georgian hospitality

He has no strong market for his products, other than Tbilisi, which will not afford him to do much more than eek out an existence.  The Russian embargo devastates his kindred, men and women who work Georgia’s soil to feed their families while dreaming of having a little more money in their pockets.  To make day’s ends meet the sun’s rises, he harvests his grapes and processes them into wine as his ancestors have done for millennia, Georgia being the birthplace of wine.  He shares his wine with friends, neighbors and family, along with newcomers to his homeland.

His life is a hard one.

Winemaking in clay vessels using methods and traditions going back 1000s of years is alive and well in Georgia today.  The winery I visited in Kakheti dated back to the 1800s, still using the underground kveri, or qvevri, fermenting and storage method.

Traditional Wine Drinking Vessel, called Kantsi

Dig out the Wine

The wine in the glass was on the sweet side, with a big floral nose of apples and honey.

Foothills Above Tbilisi, Georgia

I did manage to squeeze in an afternoon of mountain biking with locals in the hills above Tbilisi on that trip. I’ll share that in another post at a later time. In the meantime, if/when you have a glass of wine, raise it to the Georgians and wish them well and thank them for their contribution to the human experience.