It has been commented upon that Georgians never drink wine without food and rarely eat food without wine! Georgia has been producing wine for 8000 years in Qvevri, very large clay vessels buried in the ground in cellars called Marani. Georgians are still proudly making wines in Qvevri where, after the grapes are crushed, they are placed with skin, stalks and pips. Here fermentation and clarification take place for weeks or months and it is this skin-contact method that creates wonderful Amber wines (sometimes referred to as orange wines). The ancient Georgian Qvevri winemaking tradition has been given the status of National Monument of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and recognises Georgia as the ‘birthplace of wine’.
Read More
