Discovering Georgian wines, a cultural and scientific insight by Christophe Lavelle | Apogee

Between Europe and Asia, Georgia attracts several million visitors each year, not only for its magnificent landscapes and the legendary hospitality of its inhabitants, but also for its wines whose reputation far exceeds its borders.

With eight thousand years of history, five hundred indigenous grape varieties, and an original winemaking method in kvevris (buried clay jars), inscribed in 2013 by UNESCO on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Georgia is often referred to as the cradle of wine.

The fact is that the vine, which covers both the vast plateaus of Kakheti and the fronts of houses in Tbilisi, and its fermented juice are part of Georgians' daily lives.

And yet, Georgian wines are surprisingly absent from most wine books and the wine lists of our restaurants. This book aims to correct this gap and to better introduce these original wines, both in terms of their grape varieties and their winemaking process.