The History of Wine in Georgia

Giorgi ‘Kvevri’ Barisashvili is a prominent wine historian and œnologist who teaches traditional and natural winemaking at the Ilia State University. Giorgi lives in the historic centre of Mtskheta, a few steps from its magnificent cathedral. He talked to me about the country’s wine history.

“During Soviet times, when qvevri wines were not respected or allowed, we lost much of our acquired wisdom about qvevri,” he says. “Bad habits were formed because quantity mattered more than quality. Happily there’s now a renewed interest in making qvevri wines that’s respectful of the soil and grapes.” Despite the Prohibition-like rulings coming from Russia that later spread to the rest of the Soviet Union, many families and old people in the villages continued to make wine in qvevri.