New Wine Festival 2015 in Tbilisi
Sixty wine companies, small cellars and family cellars (with wines of 72 varieties) presented their late harvest wines at the New Wine Festival 2015 held in Deda Ena Park in Tbilisi on 9 May. Georgia About was there to photograph the event. No Georgian event would be complete without a barbecue! Photos by Georgia About.
“WINE CITY” AT TBILISOBA 2014
As part of Tbilisi’s 2 day Tbilisoba 2014 celebration (Georgian: თბილისობა), a “Wine City” was set up in Rike Park and the city’s residents, visitors and tourists were able to sample a range of Georgia’s fabulous wines and spirits. Georgian farmers produced 155,000 tonnes of grapes this year. From January 1 to September 30, Georgia exported 42.8 … Continue reading
GEORGIAN WINE DAY
October 4 was Georgian Wine Day. This new celebration was marked by an event held at the Alaverdi Monastery Complex (Georgian: ალავერდის მონასტერი) in Kakheti region, in eastern Georgia. Many archaeologists believe Georgia to be the source of the world’s first cultivated grapevines and wine production over 8,000 years ago. Alaverdi Monastery is a Georgian … Continue reading
HANDMADE CERAMIC WINE AND CHACHA BOTTLES
The award winning Mildiani Family Winery is located in the heart of Georgian wine-making in Tsinandali Village in the Kakheti region of Georgia. Established in 1991, the winery has vineyards comprising 100 hectares and exports around 80% of its wine. The winery initially bottled its wine in ceramic bottles and even after it began bottling in glass in 1997 … Continue reading
QVEVRI AND QVEVRI WINE MUSEUM
The Qvevri and Qvevri Wine Museum in the historic village of Napareuli, in Georgia’s Kakheti region, is the first and only museum in Georgia dedicated to Qvevri and Qvevri wine-making. Thousands of years ago the people of the South Caucasus region discovered how to transform wild grape juice into wine by leaving it to ferment in … Continue reading
NEW WINE FESTIVAL TBILISI 2014
On May 24, the Georgian Wine Club hosted the annual New Wine Festival held at the Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography (Georgian: გიორგი ჩიტაიას სახელობის ეთნოგრაფიული მუზეუმი ღია ცის ქვეშ) in Tbilisi. The festival featured a wide range of wines from large companies and wine cellars as well as family wines from different … Continue reading
GEORGIAN QVEVRI WINE-MAKING METHOD ADDED TO UNESCO HERITAGE LIST
In 2013, the traditional Georgian qvevri (kvevri) wine-making method was recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The oval-shaped earthenware vessel – the Kvevri – in which wine is fermented and stored The making of wine in qvevri is the oldest known method of wine production and it was from Georgia that wine-making … Continue reading
THE GRAPE HARVEST
This year’s grape harvest has begun in Georgia. The process of picking grapes and making wine, together with the accompanying celebrations, is called Rtveli (Georgian: რთველი) and marks the end of the agricultural cycle for the year. Rtveli involves almost everyone in Georgia. Wine is produced by thousands of small vineyard farmers (using primarily traditional techniques of wine-making), as well … Continue reading
KVARELI WINE TUNNELS
Kvareli Gvirabi, near Kvareli (Georgian: ყვარელი) in Khaketi region, is Georgia’s largest wine cellar – 7.7 km of tunnels and galleries that maintain a constant temperature of 12-14 degrees C and 70% relative humidity all year round – perfect storage conditions for wine. Originally built for military purposes during the Cold War, the tunnels (gvirabi) … Continue reading
WINE HOUSE IN KACHRETI
A “Wine Day” was recently held at the Wine House in Kachreti in Georgia’s Kakheti region. The Wine House is a vocational program of “Aisi” Vocational College and provides training to students in the traditional methods of wine-making and also supports local farmers with consultations, and testing, bottling and packing of their wines. In 2011, the … Continue reading
WINE FESTIVAL IN RACHA
A wine festival was held in Racha at the end of August. Organized by the regional government of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region (Georgian: რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი) it aimed to promote agricultural products and improve links between local farmers and markets. Visitors were able to taste the wines, enjoy great food, traditional folk songs, … Continue reading
KARTLI WINE FESTIVAL 2013
We attended the “Kartli Wine Festival” in the city of Gori (Georgian: გორი) in Shida Kartli region in eastern Georgia. The event aimed to promote and popularize Kartli wine. Visitors had an opportunity to speak to local wine producers, taste the wines, browse stalls displaying local crafts and also enjoy traditional music and a barbecue. The festival was held … Continue reading
GEORGIAN CHACHA
Chacha (Georgian: ჭაჭა) is a strong spirit made of the grape residue (pomace) left after making wine. Chacha is often made at home in a mini still. By the American definition, it qualifies as “moonshine” but unlike the production of “moonshine” in the United States, distilling chacha is not illegal in Georgia and many families continue the tradition. To most … Continue reading
RTVELI – GEORGIAN WINE HARVEST AND FESTIVITIES
Rtveli (Georgian: რთველი) is the traditional vintage (the process of picking grapes and making wine) accompanied by celebrations that mark the end of the agricultural cycle for the year. For centuries, viticulture has been of great economic importance to Georgia. Today, there are more than 175,000 acres planted with vines. The vine also has an iconic and religious significance … Continue reading
INTRODUCTION TO TRADITIONAL WINE-MAKING
Thousands of years ago the ancient people of the South Caucasus Region discovered how to transform wild grape juice into wine by leaving it to ferment in clay vessels called Kvevri, which they buried in the ground. It was from Georgia that the method of wine-making in Kvevri spread to Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and the rest of … Continue reading
Georgian Recipes 