Vine Research and Nursery

One of the most impressive viticultural institutes I’ve seen in Georgia – or anywhere – is the Scientific-Research Centre of Agriculture (SRCA; formerly known as the National Centre for Grapevine and Fruit Tree Planting Materials). The centre operates on several levels. It houses the principal collection of native Georgian grapevines – about 437 of the over 500 known varieties – in ample vineyards covering 44 hectares in the valley near Saguramo (most Georgians refer to the centre as ‘Saguramo’). The magnificent location, with a backdrop of mountains and the large Saguramo Nature Reserve nearby, provides a fitting setting for the precious vineyards. Many Georgian winemakers have explained how the rare variety collection was built up, vine by vine, by locating and taking cuttings from vines that had survived the Ottoman, phylloxera and Soviet eras. (Much of the collection has also been planted in other Georgian sites as prevention against disease or hail.) The collection was started in 2009.