“Travel experts from National Geographic, The Guardian, and Rough Guides agree that now is the time to visit the Georgian capital. Tbilisi’s rich history dates back, according to legend, over fifteen hundred years. The city, which has been influenced by countless cultures and been part of many empires, remains intrinsically itself while striving to embrace change…”

Rkatsiteli is notably used to make a traditional Georgian wine. The Qvevri wines of Georgia are produced using some incredibly old winemaking techniques which date back to the dawn of winemaking. 

Bina 37: WIne Cellar in the Sky

The qvevri’s ubiquity is more than quaint tourist-board marketing. It’s a symbol of just how proud the Georgians are of being the oldest winemaking country in the world: in November last year, archaeologists on a dig south of Tbilisi uncovered fragments of qvevri with residual wine compounds dating back 8,000 years. 

“[Amber wine] was unlike any wine made from white grapes, in my experience, with an aroma of quince and marmalade and nuts, a hint of oxidation maybe, and a slightly bitter taste. I was trying to get my head around it when the winemaker said: “Try this one. It spent 22 days on the skins.””

“The documentary titled Our Blood Is Wine, premiered this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be released in select US theaters starting March 9th. Our Blood Is Wine is about families in Georgia who revive 8,000 year old winemaking traditions that were almost lost during the era of Soviet domination. Our Blood Is Wine is directed by…

“The history, culture and potential of Georgian winemaking and viticulture will be described in a new book which will be written by American master of wine, Lisa Granik. The famous wine professional is in Georgia for over a month, visiting family cellars and wine companies in different parts of the country, learning as much as…

“…But once you taste these wines, they are impossible to forget. They have striking acidity, impressive fruit, low alcohol, playful juiciness, and a nearly lusty dryness. I can’t help but clamor for them, and I’m not the only one…”

“The Grand Prize winners are: Saperavi winemakers from Australia – Grand Gold, USA – Grand Silver; Kazakhstan – Grand Bronze. Wines of best-known Georgian variety from all over the world were judged in Georgia for the first time at SapPrize contest…”

“I’ve discovered some incredible wine here. I’m a real fan of the Qveri wine; I’d never seen that anywhere else in the world. It’s really nice to drink and cook with, or to make some cocktails with. It is completely different from what, as a foreigner, you think of when you think about wine. It’s…