Qvevri: The ancient vessel at the heart of Georgian winemaking

Long before stainless steel tanks, oak barrels or modern winery technology, wine was being fermented beneath the earth in buried clay vessels. In Georgia, that ancient tradition never disappeared. In this guest article, Georgian winemaker and educator Shalva Khetsuriani explores the story of qvevri, the remarkable vessel that has remained central to Georgian winemaking for thousands of years and still influences how wine is made today. Every ancient wine civilisation once made wine in clay. Almost all eventually abandoned it, but one never did. That civilisation is Georgia. For more than eight millennia, wine has been woven into the country's landscape, culture and daily life. Today, more than 500 indigenous grape varieties are known in Georgia, making it one of the richest reservoirs of vine diversity anywhere in the world. Regions including Kakheti, Imereti, Kartli, Guria, Samegrelo, Racha-Lechkhumi and Atchara each preserve their own grape varieties, local traditions and distinctive

by WSETglobal · source ↗