Georgian Wine History

Winemaking is one of the ancient fields of agriculture and farming in Georgia. The history of Georgian winemaking has a tight connection with the entire history and religion of the country. Because of this, numerous foreign invaders targeted this industry to deliver a heavy blow to the morale and economy of Georgia.

One notorious invader - Temur “Leng” Korgan (also know as Tamerlane), a Mongol Khan of the middle ages, would cut down and burn out most of the vineyards in Khaketi (east Georgia).

Even with such hardships that formed the evolution of Georgia, the traditions of vine growing were treated carefully and transmitted over generations. In fact, many Georgian farmers compare the care they give to the grapevine to that of a child.It is this attention to detail and special devotion to their vine that has kept alive nearly 500 local Georgian vine sorts - 38 of which are used for commercial wine production. In 1999, "Vinopolis", the International Fair was held in London. Georgia was unanimously considered as the country of the most ancient wine industry of the world and consequently, the honorable first stand was conceded to Georgian companies.Some have argued the word “wine” itself is of Georgian origin (wine in Georgian language is called “Gvino”). Most recently archeologists discovered seeds of vines dating back 5000 years.This finding is displayed at the Wine Institute Museum in Tbilisi

Winemaking as an academic major was taught in Georgia as early as 8-9th centuries.One of such schools was Ikalto Academi where viniculture and winemaking was major field of study.

70 years of communist rule have reflected negatively upon Georgian wine tradition. Industrialization and collectivization set wine production back in all fields. Early in the 1990’s a new growth in this field and in just a few years Georgian winemakers have made tremendous progress. A 3 step system of wine production established during Soviets which divided this industry into wine growers, wine processors and wine bottlers, was replaced by full cycle wineries. State owned vineyards which grew the grapes and were graded not on the quality of grapes grown but on quantity are being replaced by private vineyards that spare no effort to improve the quality of the grapes.

Georgia is considered to be one of the oldest homelands of viniculture in the world. It has been shown that wine-making in Georgia has been practiced since the 3rd millennium BC. For many centuries wine has remained one of the fascinating symbols of Georgain history and culture. Grape growing is one of the ancient branches of economic activities of people in Georgia.

Names such as Khvanchkara (h-vahnch-kah-RAH) and Kinzmarauli (kinz-mah-rah-OO-lee), natural semi-sweet reds, are virtually unpronounceable to the average American, at least not without practice. However, Saperavi ("sah-peh-RAH-vee"), a dry red, and Tzinandali (tzee-nahn-DAH-lee"), a dry white, are slightly easier to pronounce.

Saperavi Wine is named after a grape unique to Georgia. Kindzmarauli Wine uses the same type of grape, but is harvested late, acquiring a sweeter taste, as is Akhasheni (ah-hah-SHEH-nee), another popular Georgian red wine. The bright red Khvanchkara is a late harvest wine that uses another indigenous grape, Alexandreuli, and is grown at a higher altitude.

Tsinandali uses the Rkastiteli grape, which is also indigenous to Georgia. First imported to California 20 years ago, it has become one of the most popular varietals in the world.

During holidays Georgians drink wine as they do during all big family gatherings or when guests pay their visits. Strict order reins at the Georgian table. The head of the Georgian table is Tamada, a person who proposes traditional toasts. Noone has the right to propose a toast without the permission of the tamda (toastmaster). Normally the tamada proposes 20-25 toasts during a meal that may last 5 hours. Often a horn-shaped vessel is used for "special" toasts or honored guests. The last glass of wine should be emptied because you “must not leave tears” to the owner of the house.

In the area of manufactured wines, Georgia can be divided into two zones: East and West. Kakhetia and Kartli are grape regions in the Eastern zone. Kakhetia cultivates mainly white grapes such as rkatsiteli, and hikhvi. As for red grapes they produce saperavi and cabernet. Kartli specializes in grapes such as chinuri, aligaute, tavkveri, and gorouli. On the basis of these grapes, these regions the mild wine “Tsinandali”; a rough, thick, strong wine “Saperavi”; a wine unsurpassed in regards to flavor and aroma called “Kindzmarauli”; an original wine, “Tesmani”; and a peculiar wine “Gurdgaani”.

Imeretia, Megrelia, Guria, Adgaria, Racha-Pekhchumi, and Abkhazia regions belong to the western zone. In these districts grapes such as tsitska, tsalikouri, krakhuna, alexanderum are cultivated. Along with specific table wines they produce the material for champagne manufacturing, and wines such as “Khvanchkara” and “Tvischi”, which have gained a success similar to the table Kakhetian wines.

Overall, Georgia produces over 50 brands of table wine. There are three methods of making white table wine: they are Kakhetian-Eastern (fermentation of must together with the pulp of grape skins and pits), Imeretinian-Western (fermentation of must partially adding the pulp), and European (fermentation of pure grape juice must without pulp).

Wines are divided into the sorted and blended categories. Sorted wines are made from one kind of grape. Blended wines are made from different sorts of grapes. It is necessary to mention that Georgian wines are numbered and named after the territory from where they are produced, or numbered and named after the grape sort from which they are made. In addition to this in Georgia they produce table wines, semi-sweet wines, sweet wines, dessert wines, sparkling wines, vintage wines, and ordinary cognacs. It is remarkable of Georgia that people consume only limited amounts of strong drinks such as sweet liqueur or “chacha”. Liqueur is made of fermenting jam or different fruit, which are usually a little spoiled and are not good for eating. “Chacha” is a fruit home-brew, which is sometimes called vine vodka. Chacha is made of cake (grape residual left after making wine), fig, tangerine, orange, and mulberry. The method for producing chacha is the same as that for making Russian home-brew. Traditionally they drink chacha in small cups (25-30 grams). In Western Georgia chacha is accompanied with a sweet snack, in Eastern Georgia chacha is followed with a salted snack.

According to Georgian legend, God took a dinner break while creating the world. He became so involved with his meal that he inadvertently tripped over the high peaks of the Caucas us, spilling his food onto the land below. The land blessed by heaven's table scraps was Georgia, which explains the nation's famous agricultural production.

Eating together is more important in Georgia than in the United States, in part because of the emphasis that Georgians put on family. Whereas we hold big family meals on holidays such as Thanksgiving, the Georgian supra is a common event. The word supra literally translates as "table." 

While it may differ elsewhere, wine is a part of Georgian heritage, associated with celebrations, holidays and religion. Archeologists have carbon-dated accumulations of grape pips (as evidence of wine making) in Georgia, dating from 7000-5000 BC. Christian icons include wine motifs; and Georgia has a toast-making tradition, with the tamada, a toast-maker in charge of the lengthy, poetic, Georgian toasts.

In Tbilisi, there is even a Winery Museum! It contains a wine collection of 140,000 bottles, including some rare specimens: An 1806 Hungarian wine, old African wines, mead bottled in 1747, and vodka distilled in 1717. Using over 500 varieties of grapes, Georgians produce wines of amazing variety.

But people also enjoy making wine at home. Grape arbors shade the patios of traditional two-story homes in the port city of Poti. Like everything else on the table, crafted entirely by the cook's hand, the wine you drink is often made by the family from their over-arching grape branches on the garden patio, and served in traditional clay jugs called kvevris.

Georgians don't generally make wine from anything other than grapes. They gather grapes from the garden in summer and run them through a special machine to squeeze the juice out. Then they filter the pulp out, add sugar, and let the juice sit for a month or two and ferment.

Georgians pride themselves, with some justification, as the bons vivants of the former Soviet Union, and their culinary tradition has survived.

Georgians pride themselves on their reputation for being gregarious and hospitable. Foreigners sitting in restaurants are likely to have unsolicited bottles of brandy or wine bestowed on them by complete strangers. They will then be expected to raise (and empty) <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->their glasses in response to an endless string of elaborate toasts, preferably <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->interpolating a few suitably enthusiastic toasts of their own into the sequence