Georgian Qvevri wine making - როგორ კეთდება ქვევრი

The traditional Georgian method of “Qvevri” winemaking has been given the status of a cultural heritage by the UNESCO on December 4 at the 8th session of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Cultural Heritage Protection in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event was attended by Georgia’s Culture Ministry delegation headed by Minister Guram Odisharia. ‘Qvevri wine-making takes its name from the distinctive egg-shaped earthenware vessel - the Qvevri - in which wine is fermented and stored in villages and towns throughout Georgia. The tradition plays a vital role in everyday life and celebrations, and forms an inseparable part of the cultural identity of Georgian communities, with wine and vines frequently evoked in Georgian oral traditions and songs. Knowledge of this heritage is passed down by families, neighbours and friends, all of whom join in the communal harvesting and wine-making activities’, that is how this Georgian traditon is described on UNESCO official web site. A group at the ministry had worked since 2012 to prepare papers for the nomination at the UNESCO. A ten-minute documentary on the making wine using “Qvevri” – directed by Merab Kokochashvili – was also prepared according to a request by the international organization. Here you can see the short film, titled “Wine Lives Here”.