She was young when she stepped onto Georgia’s territory. She had a cross made of grapevine that was bound with her own hair. Her name was Nino, and with what is known today as St. Nino's cross, she baptized the Georgian kingdom of Iberia in the 4th century A.D., turning Georgia into a Christian state, the grapevine into a symbol of Georgia, and Nino into the most popular and prevalent of female names in Georgia.
When I was a child, my father often took me to the National Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi, which had an excellent collection of ancient artifacts such as jewelry, weapons, and household items, yet I was more mesmerized by a collection of ancient pottery. Many of the pots and jars, including the qvevri vessels, found through archaeological discoveries across Georgia, were for wine and wine making. Many other ancient artifacts had engraved images of grapes and vines, which re-confirmed the vital role and influence they played in Georgian life, culture and livelihoods. It was the grapevines that Georgian peasants protected with their lives during numerous foreign invasions.
Winemaking started over 7,000 thousand years ago in Georgia, and Georgia is considered by many to be the first country in the world that discovered the process of fermenting grape juice into wine. According to some archaeological sources, Georgians cultivated grapes in the ancient land of Colchis as early as 7,000 B.C. So good were the wines that the ancient world and Homer called them “fragrant”. The Georgian word for wine, gvino, is thought to have led to the names of vino and wine.
Georgian wine holds a very special place within Georgian culture, dining and hospitality. Wine in Georgia is part of the Georgian table as the primary drink, while it is not used as a component in cooking. Georgians tend to use vinegar more in cooking, given the production of high quality vinegar in Georgia. The diversity of the regions of Georgia not only influences the cuisine, but also the variety of wines, the best wines tend to be produced in the Kakheti Region of Eastern Georgia.
Georgians eat grapes, make wine and also produce other gustatory delights such as pelamushi, a dessert made of concentrated grape juice and flour, and churchkela, a popular candle-shaped dessert made from walnuts threaded on a string and repeatedly dipped an coated in grape juice.
In Georgia, one can find homemade wines and some very good-quality commercially-produced wines. Many Georgians maintain their own grapevines to produce wine for their family and friends every year, using the traditional Georgian winemaking technique of not separating the husk and skin of the grapes from the juice during the fermentation process. This typically produces amber-colored wines that have a slightly bitter tannic taste and higher alcohol content. Homemade wines tend to be younger, while the commercial varieties tend to be aged.
Qvevri winemaking is an ancient traditional Georgian way of making wine. Qvevri are huge clay wine vessels that are completely buried into the ground. Grapes are crashed in a large wooden boat-shape wine press, satsnakheli, traditionally by feet and then it flows down to the qvevri for fermentation and storage, absorbing unique flavor and vitamins of the skin. Georgia produces excellent dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet vintages, as well as sparkling wines and brandy. Common dry white wines include Tsinandali, Manavi, Rkatsiteli, Gurjaani, Napareuli, Tsitska, among others. The all-time favorite dry red wines are Mukuzani, Saperavi, Sameba, Teliani, Kvareli. Naturally semi-sweet red wines such as Kindzmarauli, Ojaleshi, Akhasheni and Kvanchkhara (this wine was a favorite of Joseph Stalin) and semi-sweet white wines such as Chkaveri, Tvishi, Tetra, Akhmeta are typically used as dessert wines.
My personal top four are Tsinandali (dry white), Rkatsiteli (amber), Saperavi (dry red), Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara (semi-sweet red). I like the elegant pale straw Tsinandali with its pleasant fruity flavor; the deep amber tannic taste of Rkatsiteli; the full body of Saperavi with its pronounced bouquet and intensive dark ruby color which comes from deeply colored skin; the velvety taste of Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara, which leave berry and raspberry tastes in your mouth. I like them all, while I mostly miss the Georgian amber wines, which are almost impossible to find in USA or outside of Georgia.
Tsinandali wine has a story behind the story. If you ever have a chance to visit Tsinandali estate and winery in Telavi, Kakheti, do not miss it. The Tsinandali estate (today a museum) belonged to aristocratic family of Chavchavadze. The father Garsevan was an Ambassador to the Russian court. His son, the famous 19th century poet and public figure Alexander Chavchavadze, built a winery on purpose to experiment with European ways of making wines with local grape varieties. He succeeded so much that the fame of Georgian wines, especially Tsinandali made by the European method from rkatsiteli and mtsvane local grapes aging in oak barrels, rapidly spread across the borders. On his estate, he entertained many distinguished people of that time, including the Russian poets Pushkin, Lermontov, Griboedov. And the Tsinandali estate became a witness to a true romance. The poet’s dark beauty daughter, Nino, fell in love with another poet and Russian diplomat, Alexander Griboedov. They married, and Tsinandali hosted many days of wedding feast and celebrations. The father poet opened the special wine he kept for years for Nino”s wedding, yet “happily ever after” did not happen. Several months later, while being on a diplomatic mission for the Russian Tsar, Griboedov was killed in Teheran, Iran. Heart broken, Nino buries him as he wished on St. David’s mountain in Tbilisi. Her words engraved on the tomb are the best testimonial to any love: “Your mind and works are immortal in Russian memory, but why has my love outlived you?” Nino never recovered from this loss, never remarried and is buried next to her only true love. Every time I have a glass of chilled Tsinandali wine, it reminds me of that story.
As most Georgians, I prefer homemade to commercial wines. The love of the vine is part of Georgian heritage. My grandfather cultivated grapes and made his own wines, while living in one of the central neighborhoods of Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital. Every fall, he harvested white and red grapes from his small vineyard, which he lovingly trimmed every year. He even had an old satsnakheli, a traditional wooden vessel in which he would crush the grapes by feet, and a small cellar, marani, to keep his wines. He sorted the grapes and squeezed the juice, which then was left to fermentation. Every now and then Grandpa checked on the progress of his wine. I still remember a taste of his machari (must, or unfermented grape juice, including pips, skins and stalks) made from freshly pressed grapes. My grandmother would prepare pelamushi and churchkela, a special treat for us children, and a couple of a few traditional sweets produced in Georgia. High in nutrients, churchkela served well for Georgian soldiers when they were fighting long battles with Persians, Turks, Mongols, and other historical invaders.
Georgians always enjoy wine with food. Unlike Europeans, who can enjoy a glass of wine by itself, my compatriots will always wait until food is served, wine is chilled and the Tamada makes his first toast. Gaumarjos to Georgia!