For generations, Georgia has taken pride in its distinction as the birthplace of wine. It is believed by many archeologists that Georgia is source of world’s first agriculture grapevine and Neolithic wine production. The recent discovery of 8,000 year-old grape seeds and remains of vines sealed inside ancient clay vessels only reinforces Georgia’s position as the world’s cradle of viticulture and world’s longest unbroken tradition of winemaking.
The name for the fluid obtained from the grapes – wine, comes from the Georgian word GVINO.
In 2013, UNESCO inscribed the Ancient Georgian Traditional Qvevri Wine-Making Method on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This fact is another recognition of the centuries-long existence of viticulture and winemaking in Georgia.
There is no place on Earth where wine is so interwoven into culture as it is in Georgia. Vine and the Human – merged into one is a historical event, while the result, achieved through their interactions is the beginning of the Georgian civilization. Over the centuries generations conveyed the tradition of wine – the divine drink, taste and scent of which comes from depths of millennia. The influence of vine culture can be traced in many fields of Georgian culture – folklore and polyphonic songs, mythology or poetry, architecture or fine art.
