Recipient of the Geoffrey Roberts Award, this book delves head first into the 8,000 year-old wine traditions of the Republic of Georgia. A storied past, this mountainous country on the Black Sea is finally getting recognition for its unique and wonderful wines and grapes including Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Chinuri, Krakhuna, Kisi, and over 400 more. Made in both the “international method” of barrel and tank aging as well as the ancient method of terracotta pots called “kvevri“, Georgia offers up a wine for everyone and delicious local dishes to accompany them. This is your complete guide to the wines, food, and people of this beautiful land.

Georgia Vineyards and Wineries is a historical guide to modern Georgia wines in 2016.Georgia is the largest muscadine grape¿producing state in the world. These native grapes were observed by early explores growing in the trees throughout Georgia and the South in the 1500s, but more likely had adapted to the harsh Southern environment much earlier. In 1733, James Oglethorpe, leading the first colonists to Georgia, provided European grapes to accompany other plants in the first American trustee garden in Savanah. In the first few chapters of Georgia Vineyards and Wineries, wine writer Wayne Crawford showcases this first effort to grow Old World grapes, and outlines why it failed. The history briefly highlights the wine-growing evolution in Georgia up to and after Prohibition. A brief geology, soil, climate, and weather overview sets the stage for readers to better appreciate why different varietal grapes grow across the state. This early historical overview transitions the reader into the sixty-five vineyards and wineries operating through 2016. Each winery is discussed based on five regional areas, providing the reader with additional background information on owners and winemakers. Maps are included to assist readers in touring the wineries and tasting rooms, grouped to optimize travel and enjoyment. The grapes grown and wine produced are referenced for each winery. All seventy-four grade varietals are further highlighted in detail for readers to better enjoy their tasting experience. Several appendices add additional historical information and practical information for the modern wine enthusiast to aid in their wine-drinking enjoyment

In 2011 when Alice Feiring first arrived in Georgia, she felt as if she'd emerged from the magic wardrobe into a world filled with mythical characters making exotic and delicious wine with the low-tech methods of centuries past. She was smitten, and she wasn't alone. This country on the Black Sea has an unusual effect on people; the most passionate rip off their clothes and drink wines out of horns while the cold-hearted well up with tears and make emotional toasts. Visiting winemakers fall under Georgia's spell and bring home qvevris (clay fermentation vessels) while rethinking their own techniques. But, as in any good fairy tale, Feiring sensed that danger rode shotgun with the magic. With acclaim and growing international interest come threats in the guise of new wine consultants aimed at making wines more commercial. So Feiring fought back in the only way she knew how: by celebrating Georgia and the men and women who make the wines she loves most, those made naturally with organic viticulture, minimal intervention, and no additives. From Tbilisi to Batumi, Feiring meets winemakers, bishops, farmers, artists, and silk spinners. She feasts, toasts, and collects recipes. She encounters the thriving qvevri craftspeople of the countryside, wild grape hunters, and even Stalin's last winemaker while plumbing the depths of this tiny country's love for its wines. For the Love of Wine is Feiring's emotional tale of a remarkable country and people who have survived religious wars and Soviet occupation yet managed always to keep hold of their precious wine traditions. Embedded in the narrative is the hope that Georgia has the temerity to confront its latest threat--modernization.

- Georgia has a fascinating wine background, claiming to be the birthplace of wine - The historic Georgian qvevri method has seen a rise in popularity due to the currently fashionable natural winemaking movement - Georgia's rich culture puts wine at its center and wine is uniquely important to its people - Lisa Granik is a Master of Wine with long connections with the country, making her ideally placed to comment on its wines Georgia has for the last 25 years been resurrecting its unique winemaking tradition and rediscovering the distinctiveness of its native varieties. A handful of producers in 1997 has now exploded to more than 1,300. Wine is arguably more important to Georgia than to any other country and its people firmly believe their country to be the birthplace of wine. Yet Georgian wines are still largely unknown in the West. Lisa Granik, who began visiting Georgia 30 years ago, starts The Wines of Georgia with a brisk tour through the history of the country and analysis of its complex geology, before moving on to consider Georgian wine culture. She explains not only winemaking methods and viticulture but also the centrality of wine to Georgian culture. Georgia can claim more than 400 native Vitis vinifera varieties; here Granik profiles the most commonly planted grapes, as well as the many 'lost' varieties being revived. The second half of the book details each of the major regions. Of Georgia's 20 PDOs, 15 are in the east, in Kakheti. With a history of wine education dating back 900 years, this prolific winemaking region is home to the qvevri, the conical clay vessel that for many represents Georgian winemaking. Stretching west, the regions become more sparsely populated; some places are still pioneer wine territory, with more amateur and self-taught winemakers. Granik provides details on the most significant producers, along with tips on sites of interest and places to eat and stay, for those visiting the country. This definitive book on Georgian wine is an essential text for anybody studying or making wine today.