Georgia - the homeland of wine
The “Kvevri” (pitcher) widely used for making wine in Georgia is similar to a Neolithic vessel, which once again confirms that the wine culture in this region has deep historical roots and emphasizes its continuity.
According to archaeological data, the attitude of Georgians to vine and wine can be seen from very early ages. The widely used pitcher for making wine in Georgia is similar to Neolithic vessels, which once again proves that wine culture in this region has deep historical roots and emphasizes its continuity. It is very important that we have not only one episode, but the whole picture - we started wine production in ancient times and continue to do so to this day.
The research of the monuments of the Neolithic age (6th millennium BC) on the territory of Georgia by the expeditions of the Janashia State Museum began in the 60s of the 20th century. At different times it was led by Aleksandre Javakhishvili, Otar Japaridze and Tamaz Kighuradze. It was on these monuments that ancient wine vessels were discovered, which gave the scientific community a reason to think that Georgia was the homeland of wine since the 60s of the XX century.
In 1999, the wine city "Vinopolis" was opened in London, where on the initiative of the heads of the GWS company, Levan Gachechiladze and Tamaz Kandelaki, and with the support of the Embassy of Georgia, a corner of Georgia was created, which was called "Georgia - the homeland of wine". In the "Vinopolis" exhibition hall, the history of Georgian wine was presented with museum copies preserved in the State Museum of Georgia. Later, academician Levan Chilashvili dedicated a book-album to this topic.
The assumption that Georgia is the homeland of wine was made by Hugh Johnson, a well-known writer in international literature, in his book "The History of Wine", which was published in 1989. Later, the same assumption was made by a recognized researcher of the history of wine,
Professor Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania, who traveled to Georgia in 1998. In 2003, he published the book "Ancient Wine", where the Caucasus is mentioned as the alleged birthplace of wine.
Source: National Geographic საქართველო - ღვინის სამშობლო (nationalgeographic.ge)
