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Wine
Patara Ateni Giorgi Revazashvili’s Marani
Appears in
Published 2017
When I visit Giorgi Revazashvili at his home near Ateni, he’s in the process of rebuilding his cellar and three large qvevri stand on the roof, wrapped to protect them from the rain before being buried. “They come from Imereti,” the 24-year-old says proudly. Giorgi is one of the new generation of natural winemakers who are reclaiming their culture from the destruction of its recent history.
“Historically, Ateni was famous for grapes and Atenuri wine,” says the tall, intense young man as he motions out over the landscape from our high vantage point at 720 metres (2,362 feet). “In Soviet times this was all apples, not vines any more, and recently many people have cut down whatever vineyards remained because of the low price of grapes.” Giorgi wants to help relaunch his area. Only by making good, successful wines will the locals be inspired to follow.