Wine

Wine-making is a complex and interesting science, and Georgian wine-making is already several thousand years old. However, simple peasants, creators of the first decanter of wine, hardly used such scientific terms as fermentation, enzymes, oxidation. Nevertheless, the wine they made was delicious.

Nowadays there are more than 500 sorts of vine cultivated in Georgia. Their names are difficult to learn, but often people get acquainted with Georgian grapes by tasting flavored Georgian wines. First we drink "Saperavi", and then we learn that the name of the wine and the grapes are the same. And before drinking wine, we will definitely hear a toast from the toastmaster (Tamada) - according to Georgian traditions, no feast in Georgia is complete without toast and toastmaster! Wine and winemaking have grown so much with Georgians that it is impossible to imagine one without the other. It was in Georgia that the anthem dedicated to the vine "Shen khar venakhi" (“You are the vine”) was composed. Even in difficult war periods, the Georgians managed to preserve the grape and wine-making traditions, and today they introduce them to the whole world.

If, in addition to a beach holiday, museums and tours you want to try real Georgian wine, then you definitely need to visit the mountainous Adjara. The wine prepared in the typical village of Adjara, pure and tasty, will fully satisfy your curiosity. Be sure to try the Chkhaveri (pink) and Tsolikauri (white) wines made from local grapes. And if the hospitable hosts offer you aladusturi, odzhaleshi, etc., then do not hesitate, listen to the toast and try them too, and then you will understand if this is the name of a grape or wine variety!  By the way, in Georgia they like to make long meaningful toasts, dedicated to people and philosophical issues. It is not without reason that since ancient times in Georgia “supra” (feast) was considered a school of life, and the proverb that “In Georgia wine and wisdom ripen while making a toast” correctly conveys the essence of this beautiful tradition!

Here are some more interesting and useful Georgian proverbs:

Master is good when new, but wine and bread when old

Good word is easy to say, good wine is easy to drink

Wine deprives a man of his common sense and property

As for the Georgian alphabet, for Georgians it is another reason to be proud of their country. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the Georgian alphabet to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.