The Country Of Georgia Is The ‘Cradle Of Wine’ For Good Reason
A star has emerged, or shall we say re-emerged in the wine world and it shows no signs of dimming. The country of Georgia has a rich history in viticulture and has been producing exquisite wine in the heart of the Caucasus region for over 8,000 years. It was even given the moniker, “cradle of wine.” Recently there’s been a surge in popularity for these wines, particularly those made from the region’s white grapes. According to the National Wine Agency, in 2022 Georgian wine exports to the U.S. increased by 28% and 15% overall in key global markets.
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“A good tamada can improvise to respond to the developments at the table. If there are conversations happening on certain subjects that don’t fit their toast, the tamada will come up with a good toast about that,”
Read MoreNation of Georgia, a wine producer for 8,000 years, sees interest from world’s top restaurants
The small country of Georgia has been producing wine for 8,000 years, longer than anywhere else in the world, and they are now seeing a boom in popularity. Chris Livesay met with a winemaker who still uses generations-old techniques and natural fermentation.
Read MoreNative Grapes: Tasting Two Mtsvane Wines From Georgia
The country of Georgia is widely recognized as the oldest winemaking region in the world; evidence of wine production in the country dates all the way back to 6000 B.C. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Georgia has over 500 different types of native grapes, many of which aren’t grown anywhere else in the world.
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From the desert of Peru and sunny countryside of Texas to the sandy shores of Croatia and rolling green hills of Georgia, this list will help you get off the beaten path and try something new. Here are our top 10 wine destinations for 2023.
Read MoreGeorgian grape varieties: In an ancient league of their own
Georgian wine is best known for the qvevri clay pots used by some of its most celebrated producers. But the array of fascinating, utterly distinctive indigenous Georgian grape varieties also deserve much wider renown
Read MoreYou’ve Been Drinking Orange Wine Wrong
Georgia, with its 8,000 years of winemaking history, arguably has a better handle on the issue of service temperature for orange wines than other wine-drinking cultures. That’s because many of its wines, including its qvevris—wines fermented and aged below ground in traditional enormous clay vessels known as qvevri—come with recommended cellar and service temperatures written on the back label. That’s especially true for qvevri amber wines, the preferred Georgian term for “orange” wines.
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As the world’s oldest continuously producing wine region, one might expect Georgia to be more ubiquitous—but there’s a reason it still feels unknown. “The Republic was under Soviet rule for decades, and wine culture was greatly impacted. Only four grape varieties (out of over 500) were allowed in production; the others were kept alive in secret,” natural wine journalist and author Rachel Signer says. “With Georgia’s independence, they rediscovered their wine culture and began sharing it with the broader world.
Read MoreOrange Wine Might Be Trendy, but in Georgia It’s Nothing New
Whether we’re aware of it or not, there’s a reason orange wine is resonating with us, and it goes beyond the “it” factor. The drink is rooted in history, inspired by ancient winemaking techniques in Georgia. And those techniques, which often rely on minimal intervention, get you as close to “wine” as can be.
Read MoreThe Complete Guide to Orange Wine
Though orange wine has seen an epic rise in popularity in recent years, there’s nothing new about this style of wine. Its origins are ancient — as in, it’s been produced for millennia. Archeological evidence shows that it was made as far back as 6000 B.C. in what is now the modern-day country of Georgia. Here, wines were made predominantly from the Rkatsiteli grape in clay vessels buried in the ground to keep temperatures lower. These vessels, known as qvevri, are traditionally lined and sealed with beeswax and stone lids. This tradition still defines much of Georgian winemaking today.
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