CBS News: In Georgia, wine’s surprising birthplace, winemakers revive ancient grapes

American John Wurdeman became part of that mission to help bring back Georgia’s rich history.  He came to Georgia 25 years ago as a student and fell in love with the culture and the wine. In 2006 he opened up Pheasant’s Tears Winery, where he has been replanting rare grape varietals and making wine ever since.

“Luckily, Georgians were still growing them in their backyard. They were allowed to have small, private plots for their own personal use, and they kept the ancestral varieties going,” Wurdeman said. “So when we, for instance, wanted to start to bring back these ancient varieties, together with our friends, that was where we were going. We were going to the individual back yards of farmers who kept growing the varieties that their grandfathers and great grandfathers had kept alive.”

More than 2,000 new vineyards have taken root in Georgia over the past decade. The former Soviet bloc nation offers more than 40 varieties of wine, each with tongue twisting names from vines centuries old.

“For a country the size of West Virginia, the diversity of terroir is extraordinary,” Wurdeman said, referring to the natural elements like soil and climate ideal to produce wine. “I think it’s important that some of these regions that were farmed less for grapes in Soviet times are now going again, because all of a sudden, it’s like watching a black and white picture of a rainbow come to color again. This diversity and expanse of color is coming back to the Georgian table after sleeping for almost a few centuries.”

It’s not just ancient grape varieties being preserved; it’s also ancient techniques.

The godly pursuit of wine

Scientists say wine residue found on pieces of pottery in Georgia dates back 8,000 years.

At Wurdeman’s Pheasant’s Tears Winery, ancient Georgian methods are used to make the wine. Stems, skins and juice are all mixed together, then poured into giant qveris — clay pots buried underground used to ferment, store and age the wine. The qveris are sealed with clay.

Many homes in Georgia have qveris in their cellars. But today, there are only a handful of qveri makers who carry on the tradition of hand building the gargantuan clay vessels. Some hold nearly 900 gallons of wine.

Monks have made wine at the Alaverdi Monastery since medieval times. The monastery, located at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, dates back to the sixth century. Vines were planted on day one, Georgian Orthodox Bishop David said.

The monks living there still make traditional wine. Bishop David works with three monks at the medieval compound, where they are committed to both God and the godly pursuit of creating a perfect glass of wine.

“Whenever we are in the vineyard or the wine cellar, we always feel that God is close to us,” Bishop David said.

Qveri are buried six feet underground at the monastery. The monks produce about 20,000 bottles of wine a year with the help of locals who work the land.

During the harvest, the monks make their way through the hallowed halls of the monastery each day to bless the wine cellar and the grapes. One hundred grape varieties, some dating back 900 years, are still growing on the monastery grounds, Bishop David said.

The article also reviews the increasing popularity of Georgian wine.

Georgian wine is gaining popularity beyond its borders. Last year, Georgia exported over 140 million bottles of wine to more than 65 countries, according to the National Wine Agency of Georgia. Nearly a million and a half bottles of it were shipped to the US last year, an increase of nearly 30% from the previous year.

Source: CBS News

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