How to Make Wine in Qvevri

After the handmade terracotta coil pots have been fired and impregnated with beeswax inside to create a micro-coating around the clay’s pores ( for more on the qvevri-making process), they’re usually given an external wire armature to protect them from the pressure created during fermentation and small earth tremors, and an external coating of powdered lime with cement or sand for strength and as a disinfectant. The qvevri are buried up to their necks in sand and gravel to facilitate the passage of air and absorb any shocks from the ground. A Georgian cellar contains buried qvevri of varying sizes to accommodate different volumes of wine.