Georgia

Wine has always been an integral part of Georgian culture and national identity. Grape seeds and ceramic jugs called qvevris have been found dating back 8,000 years throughout the country, leading some scientists to believe that Georgia was one of the likely birthplaces of viticulture. They also believe that vitis vinifera —the common grape vine— originated from the Caucasus mountains where modern day Georgia encompasses  While there are over 500 indigenous grape varietals found in Georgia, the most widely planted and highly regarded ones are Rkatsiteli for white wines, and Saperavi for reds. Rkatsiteli is a combination of two Georgian words: rka meaning “vine shoot” and tsiteli meaning “red”, and was named as such because of its red stems. Saperavi means “dye” or “paint” in Georgian which refers to the grape's deep black skin and pink hued juice.   Quevri winemaking: a unique Georgian tradition It would be an oversimplification to say that a qvevri is a clay vessel used for centuries to produce wine in Georgia. The traditional practice of qvevri winemaking has been producing natural wines without the use of chemicals, foreign yeasts, or filtration long before it became a stylistic trend.