Georgia, Sakartvelo: the Birthplace of Wine

Kathy and I will give an author talk about our third book, Georgia, Sakartvelo: The Birthplace of Wine on Saturday, February 28th from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel, Delaware. At the recent Boston Wine Expo, people were surprised to learn where grapes were first cultivated and wine was first made. But perhaps even harder to get a handle on is time. Grapes have been cultivated and wines made south of the Caucasus Mountains for 8,000 years. That is a staggering number of centuries. Thousands of years before Greece, Italy, Spain, France and other areas in Europe and Africa, wine was made south of the mountain range separating Russia from Georgia. To add some perspective, the first of the seven wonders of the ancient world, The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed between 2584 and 2561 BCE. That is 4,500 years ago. Grape cultivation and wine production pre-dates that wonder by 3,500 years.

Today, Georgian wines are showing up in wine shops and chains such as Total Wine and Whole Foods. When in Oregon visiting family, I can walk into local grocery stores and purchase a couple wines from the country Georgia. Usually on hand there is a white wine made with Rkatsiteli grapes and a red wine crafted with Saperavi grapes. Some wine shops have a much larger selection. The Wine Gallery in Brookline, Massachusetts had a large assortment of Georgian wines, at least for a wine shop in the United States.

There are other surprises in store for wine enthusiasts during our author talk. Throughout the world, there are many different winemaking techniques. Only one process of winemaking is on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Hint, it is not wines made in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. You will discover the very ancient art of making vessels to ferment and age wines. This winemaking method is making a resurgence in the world today including in the United States.

We will also discuss joining the Wine Century Club. This free club gives you the opportunity to record the different varietal wine grapes that you have tasted. You become members of the club once you reach 100 different varieties of grapes made into wine. You can count each grape in a blend. This can be a fun activity for you to get involved in.

Kathy and I are looking forward to introducing you to the area where grapes for wine were first cultivated and wines were first made. We hope to see you at Harvest Ridge Winery on February 28th at 2:00 pm. We will have books for sale and will happily inscribe the books for you.

Cheers,
Terry