Wine is so deeply embedded in the Georgian identity that to talk of Georgian wine culture is to talk of Georgia itself. Thanks to their distinctive grape-growing terroirs and 8,000-year history of winemaking, Georgians have cultivated not just vines but a world-class wine culture.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n
In the countryside, where most families still grow their own grapes and make their own wines, homes typically have a dedicated wine cellar, called a marani. Even in Georgia’s cities, urbanites who balance progress with tradition cultivate their own vines.<\/p>\n
The opening of a family qvevri-a buried clay vessel in which most Georgian households make their wine-is a celebrated event, a reason for feasting. Wine features in every meal, whether simple or elaborate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n
To many Georgians, the mantra “life without feasting is meaningless” is one they prove at every opportunity. At the heart of communal life’s milestones-both happy and sad-is the supra, a feast punctuated by a succession of toasts.<\/p>\nThese ritual feasts draw from Eastern Orthodox monastic tradition, in which an abbot would introduce topics for discussion in the form of a toast. To this day, drinking wine during a meal is a vehicle for examining life’s deep questions. The tamada, or toastmaster, rises and introduces a theme for the night. He toasts to the theme, alludes to the interests and personalities of the guests, and downs his glass-or his traditional drinking horn, called a khantsi. The guests then make their own toast, responding to the tamada’s theme, and down their glass or horn. Toasts can be beautiful, poetic, funny, or irreverent.
\nAnd over the course of the evening, the exchange of ideas and the congenial laughter becomes as intoxicating as the wine.\n