Revisiting Georgian Wine

Almost a month ago, Carrie and I delivered our presentation on the Kakheti region of Georgia as an emerging wine region that could be important for years to come. Some of the things we highlighted were: the country's historical importance as a former country under Soviet control and its historical importance as one of the earliest wine producing regions, the unique style of wine making the country uses (qvevris) and the sheer amount of economic investment that the country is making in the region as it tries to double down on tourism as a source of revenue.

Recently, a friend sent me a documentary called "Our Blood is Wine," by director Emily Railsback. She spent time in rural Georgia exploring the wine making traditions and culture that had almost been destroyed by Soviet rule. The film highlights many of the things Carrie and I discussed in our presentation. However, the documentary also highlights a fact that we didn't know: only one percent of the wine that comes out of Georgia is produced through qvevris. The fact is that most of the bottled exports are produced in accordance with more modern wine making traditions.

The simple reason is that qvevri wines are simply not suited for mass production. The more complicated reason is that the Soviet Union seized control of the land and brought the vineyards in line with more familiar forms of global wine making, with near rows and vines that can be easily harvested by machines.

What's interesting is not so much that this happens but how this may change the country's brand as a historical wine making region. One of the key selling points for Georgian wine is the uniqueness of its wine making process using qvevris. It will be interesting to know how the country's image changes with this fact illuminated.