"Georgia with its wines is still wild and untouched  and if you want a unique and truly unforgettable trip - Georgia will not deceive your hopes. "Isabelle Lageron, wine expert, representative of Travel Channel.

Manavi, Tsitska, Sachino, Chavery... All these famous names of Georgian wines sound to every connoisseur of this drink as music. The music is clean and bright, the music is sweet and tart. Music from which it is simply impossible to break away. And it seems that in your soul it will sound indefinitely.

Wonderful Georgian wines are very popular not only in Georgia itself, but also far beyond its borders. But there are reasons for this. First of all, Georgia is simply an ideal place for growing grapes of various varieties. Secondly, the history of the preparation of wine has more than one hundred years. And finally, thirdly, Georgians are people who with great respect and reverence regard their beloved wine. It is these three components that are the secret to the success of wine from Georgia.

And every true connoisseur of Georgian wine should know that wine is at fault and that these drinks are prepared in Georgia using very different technologies. And these technologies can be very different from one another.

European way of winemaking

The European method of making wine is very popular all over the world, including in Georgia. It is this method of making the drink that made a great variety in the huge number of types of wines that are now in this country. How is wine made in this way?

1. After the entire harvest of grape berries is harvested, juice is squeezed out of it and the seeds and branches are separated, which in this case are called pulp.
2. In the production of red wines, the peel and juice obtained are laid for fermentation in barrels of wood or metal.
3. In the manufacture of white varieties of wine, the juice is filtered and wanders completely completely in its pure form without peels and other foreign impurities.

This method came to Georgia at the very end of the 19th century and today is traditionally used in Kakheti. In this region, wines are made in a European way, such as Gurjaani, Manavi, Napareuli and the famous Tsinandali.

Kakheti method of winemaking

This method was formed on the territory of Kakheti due to subtle observations and records of local winemakers. The technology of wine production itself is as follows:

1. After the entire crop is harvested, all the berries are crushed along with twigs and seeds. And the resulting mixture itself does not separate.
2. Then the whole mixture is poured into large ceramic jugs, which are dug into the ground in advance. It turns out that the fermentation temperature of such a wine is about 14-15 degrees.
3. Fermentation in jugs occurs within 3 or 4 months.
4. After that, the liquid is poured into containers and transferred to storage. Wine storage time depends on its variety.

In this way, wines “Kakheti”, “Mukuzani", "Tibaani", "Rkatsiteli", "Saperavi" and "Shuamta" are produced.

Imereti method of winemaking

This unusual way of making wine was created in another area of \u200b\u200bwinemaking - Imereti. It is a mixture of the two previous methods, but it also has its own peculiarity.

1. After harvesting the berries are pressed together with twigs and seeds. The resulting mixture is separated from the branches, but the seeds and peel of the grape berries remain.
2. The resulting fermentation mixture is poured into jugs for fermentation, which are dug in the ground, and left in this state for 1.5 - 2 months.
3. Then the resulting juice is drained and transferred to storage. Shelf life again depends on the type of wine.

In a rather simple way, wines of the Svir, Dimi, Tbilisuri and Tsitska types are produced.

Natural semi-sweet wines according to Racha-Lechkhum technology

In one of the mountainous regions of Georgia called Racha-Lechkhumi, its own wine production technology was invented. More precisely, the Imereti method was just a little modernized. In principle, the Racha-Lechumi technology is almost no different from the Imereti technology, with one exception, namely: pitchers dug in the ground remain for fermentation only at a temperature of 4 - 5 degrees, and not 14 - 15 degrees, as in Imereti technology.

It is in this way that the famous Khvanchkara and no less famous wines Ojaleshi and Pirosmani are obtained.

Many people know that wine is a wonderful antioxidant that can remove harmful decay products from the human body. But for some reason, according to tradition, only red wine is considered such an antioxidant. Let's try to understand this issue in more detail.

The main source of antioxidants is the skin of grapes and the seeds of berries. That is why red wines, which are prepared according to European technology, when the fermentation of the juice itself occurs with the skin, are really very rich in antioxidants. White wines prepared using the same technology are produced in a completely different way. There is fermentation of the juice itself with its separation from the seeds and peels of the berries. That is why red wines are more valuable to the body.

However, this rule does not apply to the Kakheti wine production technology. Here, both white and red wines are prepared in only one way - when fermentation occurs along with the skin of berries, with their seeds and twigs. And the color of the wine itself depends only on the grape variety. Such white wine contains just a huge amount of antioxidants! And recent studies have confirmed that some brands of white wine even outperform red wines in terms of antioxidants.

In total, Georgia has 10 regions in which wine is produced. And it’s worth saying a few words about each of them.

Kakheti.  This is the main and most famous winemaking area. Most of all Georgia grape varieties grow here. This has become possible because of the climate, which literally pampers and cherishes all the grapes that grow here. The entire wine-growing region can be divided into several zones, each of which cultivates grapes inherent only to it. One of such zones - Alazani Valley - has an exceptionally mild and healthy climate. It is protected from the northern winds by the Main Caucasian Range, which, like a giant barrier, limits it along the left bank of the Kura. The right bank of Alazani, slightly elevated, as if exposed to the sun, is an almost continuous vineyard, cherished by the hands of the residents of Kakheti. It is here that grape varieties such as Kindzmarauli, Tsinandali, Gurjaani, Akhasheni are grown.

Kakheti is just the perfect place to grow grapes. The vineyards here are located on a slope to the north, and the number of sunny days a year allows grapes to accumulate even more sweetness, which is simply invaluable in the production of wine.

Kartli.  Here the vineyards are located in the Kura River area. However, the amount of rainfall in this historical area is so small that plantings have to be irrigated artificially. But these conditions are simply ideal for obtaining wine material, from which sparkling wines are subsequently made.

Imereti. The low hills of the foothills warmed by the sun's rays surrounding the Imereti plain from the north, east and south are an area of \u200b\u200bintense viticulture. Imereti wines are famous for their lightness, crystallinity, sparkling. A wonderful grape variety called "Tsitska" is growing on the territory of this region, from which the same-name amazing table wine is produced with a very harmonious taste. Other no less famous grape varieties grow here: “Oskhanuri”, “Sapera” and “Saperavi”.

Racha-Lechkhumi.  This region is considered one of the oldest regions for growing grapes. The region itself is located in a basin that is surrounded by mountains on all sides, but despite this, this small region receives quite a lot of heat and precipitation throughout the year. Among the grape varieties cultivated in this region of Georgia, “Alexandrouli”, “Tsolikouri”, “Tsulukidzis”, “Tetra”, “Usakhelouri”, “Odzhaleshi” and “Orbeluri” are worth noting.

Samegrelo.  Oddly enough, but wine is made in very limited quantities. This is due to the fact that there is very high humidity and grapes, instead of sugar content, gain a lot of water. Therefore, the resulting wine is too watery.

Adjara. Of the regions of western Georgia, one of the oldest centers of viticulture and winemaking is Adjara, where the upper boundary of the distribution of the vineyard reaches 1200 m above sea level.

In the treasury of world viticulture and winemaking, in the formation of the ancient traditions of vine care, vineyard cultivation, Adjara occupies a worthy place. The area of \u200b\u200bthe region is small - 2.9 thousand km 2, but its landscape and nature are very diverse. The richest gene pool of vines has been created here and more than 40 cultivars of wine grapes have been tested.

This region produces unique rosé wine from the Chhaveri grape variety. It is considered very useful for the body and able to cure a variety of diseases. Along with this, another Tsoliakuri variety, famous all over the world, is grown here, from which just a magical drink of the same name is produced.

Houri.  This is also a region with very high humidity, so the grapes themselves are not very suitable for wine production here.

In Georgia, it is very rare to find wine that would be produced from only one grape variety. Such drinks are accepted only in Kakheti, but in all other areas of winemaking, wine is a mixture of several grape varieties. This is what distinguishes Georgian wines from wines that are produced in Europe.

Features of the preparation of Georgian wine. Georgia is a magnificent country in which temperamental and cheerful Caucasians live. It is famous not only for delicious traditional dishes, but also for its own recipes for the preparation of white and red wines. The main variety of Georgian homemade wine is white. It is consumed every day, so this wine is on every table in every family. It is not too strong and tastes good. In Georgia home winemaking equipment  can be used to ensure that the alcoholic drink is mature, rich and aromatic. Georgians make black grapes a thick and viscous “black” shavi wine.

The most popular Georgian wines

The following varieties are classified as white Georgian wines:

• Kakheti
• Alaverdi
• Tsinandali
• "Alazani Valley."

These drinks have different tastes and color depth, which can vary from straw to amber with a greenish tint. To make wine in Georgian, you need to buy wine set  and master Georgian technology. In total, in this country there are three technologies for preparing the "drink of the Gods":

• racha-lechum;
• kakheti;
• imperial.

How to make wine on Kakheti technology?

Among red wine, one can note such varieties as Saperavi and Kindzmarauli. Georgians, starting to create such an alcoholic drink, carefully select the appropriate grape varieties. Kakheti wine does not need special technological conditions. For its preparation, an oak barrel of 10 liters or an earthenware container called qvevri is required. Grapes need to be harvested, crushed well and minced.

The resulting mixture is placed in qvevri, which are underground in Georgia. The basement, which is in every house, is perfect for this. In a wooden barrel or qvevra, the wine is infused, aged and saturated with oxygen. It is important to store wine barrels at an air temperature of not lower than 12 and not higher than 15 degrees.

Recipes for making homemade wine white, red, dry and with sugar.

Nowadays, every owner is able to make homemade wine, in which grapes grow in abundance. Nevertheless, a number of countries and regions have retained a reputation as manufacturers of unique wines in terms of taste. For example, Georgia, Alazani Valley, France, Italy.

Kindzmarauli wine grape variety

   a glass and a bottle of Georgian wine Kinzmarauli

Semi-sweet red wine Kindzmarauli hails from Georgia, from the Alazani Valley. There, among two rivers, Alazani and Duruji, there is a site with gray-blue land on which Saperavi grapes grow.

Thanks to the spring flood of one of the rivers flowing from the mountains, the soil is enriched with minerals, lime and substances from the peaks. Together they have a beneficial effect on the taste of Saperavi grapes and the future wine from it.

Note that in addition to the red color, Kindzmarauli is pink semi-dry and dry and even white. True, in the latter case, it is based on Rkatsiteli grapes.

In other regions of Georgia, this grape variety is used to make dry wines.

How to make wine from grapes at home step by step recipe?

  bunches of grapes, a bottle and a glass of homemade wine

If you set out to stock up on homemade wine for the entire period of cold weather, then you need grapes. Either you grow it yourself and collect overripe clusters, or you buy ready-made ones from a trusted seller in the fall.

Training.

• Separate the berries from the cuttings and put them in a container such as a basin or bath, depending on the amount of grapes. Crush them with your hands or bare feet
• A special press for berries is also suitable, which will crush them into pulp, pulp
• You do not need to wash the grapes, because on its skin there is the right amount of substances for fermentation. If washed, stock up with special wine yeast, which you add to the grape juice at the fermentation stage
• Gather the pulp in a clean, wide-necked container so that it is no more than two-thirds full. The container must not be of metal or aluminum

Fermentation.

• Put a copper container in a room where the air temperature ranges from 18 to 23 ℃
• Cover the neck with a cloth to avoid attracting midges.
• Stir the pulp daily for five days.
• Separate grape skins from juice, must, for example, using a colander
• Lay the wort and cake in different containers

Sweetening with sugar.

• Add sugar at a rate of 50 g per liter in a container with must
• After three days, try the taste of future wine. If sourness persists, add sugar in the same proportion
• When the sweetness of the wort satisfies you and the acidity disappears, then the fermentation is over and the wine has become semisweet or sweet with a percentage of alcohol equal to 15-17
• The stage of sweetening the wort and its ripening takes up to a month
• If you want to get a little sparkling wine, then pour the finished sweet wort into bottles and place it horizontally in a warm room for several days. If you do not need gas bulbs, go to the next step

Pasteurization.

• Pour the wort into jars so that they are three quarters full
• Dip cans in hot water 75 ℃
• Take out the jars and put corks on them with a tube, one end of which is dipped in a jar of wine, and the other in a glass of water. Watch out for carbon dioxide
• When the wine calms down, pour the homemade soft drink into bottles and take them to the basement or cellar for storage

Home-made grape wine: simple recipes

  freshly picked grapes in a basin before making homemade wine

For making wine at home, these grapes are used:

• Saperavi
• Stepnyak
• New
• friendship
• Festival
• Isabel
• Lydia
• Dove
• Livadian black

Recipe 1

  the pulp of future home-made wine wanders in a bucket

You need to cook:

• Grapes - 10 kg
• Sugar - 250 g per liter of future wort
• Water - 100 ml per liter
• Wooden barrel or a pair of buckets
• Basin or bath
• Glass bottle
• Wooden spatula for stirring
• Flexible siphon hose - 1 pc.
• Colander or gauze or thick filter cloth
• Medical rubber glove

Cooking:

• Dry not washed grapes without leaves and twigs, mash in a bath / tub
• Transfer the resulting mass to a wooden barrel / bucket and leave for 5-7 days to start the fermentation process. Cover tightly with a cloth
• Stir the pulp daily with a wooden spatula so that the froth with the skin disappears
• Strain the mass, and let the peel drain well on a colander
• Sweeten the wort with sugar and add some water if necessary. Remember that it worsens the quality of the future wine, so do not overdo it
• Pour in water only if there is acidity, astringency and pinching of the tongue when tasting the wort for sweetness
• Pour the finished wort into a glass bottle and put a rubber glove on its neck, piercing one finger in it
• After a month and a half, if the glove is not swollen, put the bottle on a table or chair and insert a siphon tube so that it rises three to five centimeters above the precipitation. Lower its second end into a clean dry jar / bottle
• Leave the young wine in a cool room with a temperature of 15-18 ℃ ripen for another three to four weeks
• Pour the finished product into smaller containers and lower it into the cellar for aging. Ready wine is suitable for use over the next 5-12 years. A longer period is justified if you did not add water to the wort

Recipe 2

  ruby house wine in a glass and a bottle

You need:

• Unripe grapes - 10 kg
• Sugar - 3 kg
• Three liter cans
• Medical gloves
• Colander
• Bucket
• Wooden spatula

Order of preparation:

• Crush dry berries distant from the cuttings with your hands or a crush in a bucket
• Cover the resulting mass with a cloth and place in a warm room for 4-5 days.
• Stir the pulp daily with a spatula.
• When a layer of foam and grape skins floats up, it is time to grind the mass and separate it from the skins
• Pour the prepared wort into jars, mix with sugar and cover their neck with medical gloves, on which several fingers are pierced
• By the way, instead of them, you can clog the cans with plugs with a vent pipe. One of its ends should lie in a container of water, and the second with a must
• Keep an eye on future wine for three weeks - as soon as the glove has stopped inflating and the sounds of gurgling have disappeared, it is time to pour a young wine drink
• Spread it in a clean, dry container, avoiding sediment.
• Take it to a cool place for a month, during which, after separating the yeast at the bottom, transfer the young wine three times to another bowl
• Put the finished drink in a cool, dark place to insist
• After a month, take a sample of homemade wine

Grape leaf wine

  beautiful young grape leaves before harvest for making homemade wine

It is interesting that at home you can make wine not only from grapes, but also from its leaves.

For this:

• Gather young leaves with cuttings
• Rinse them thoroughly, chop them with a knife and put them in a glass jar, leaving a third of it empty. Press the raw material well so that it lies tightly
• Pour jar of boiling water and cover with a cork made of fabric or cotton
• After three days of insisting in a warm place, squeeze the leaves, and strain the infusion through a colander with small holes
• After a couple of hours, strain the future wine so that the sediment remains in the old container
• Take a glass of infusion and heat it a little, add 200 g of sugar per liter to this warm liquid
• Well allow and pour into the container with the bulk of the infusion. Mix everything
• Put a clean, dry jar of infusion in a hot place where the temperature is kept in the region of +25 ℃
• After three days, transfer it to the room and cover it with a cork made of fabric or cotton
• Change the container once a month and remove sediment from future wine
• The ripening time of the wine from the leaves is three months, that is, you should change the banks for it three times
• When fermentation is complete, bottle the wine and store in a cool place.

How to make isabella wine at home?

  a pair of glasses of homemade wine and a bunch of isabella grapes

The technology for making wine from isabella is quite simple:

• sort the grapes collected in dry sunny weather, separate the berries from the cuttings, remove the spoiled grapes
• crush material with a press, crush, hands or feet
• pour in water about 40% of the amount of pulp and add sugar at the rate of 40 g for each liter
• within 4 days, the sweetened diluted pulp ferments, forming a cap. Pour it with a wooden stick, stirring once a day
• strain the pulp and pour again the water, preferably boiled, about 40% of the total volume of the wort
• fill the bottle three quarters, plug it with a cork of cotton wool during active fermentation
• when the wort dies down, replace the cork with a rubber glove punctured on one finger
• as soon as the glove has ceased to inflate, remove it, pour a glass of wort, heat and mix with sugar in a proportion of 200 g per liter
• mix the sweet must with the remaining volume and leave to ripen for a month
• place a container of future wine on the table and pour the must into a smaller container using a vinyl tube
• sweeten the drink a little more if desired
• keep young wine in a cool place

What grape varieties make white wine from: a recipe for cooking

  a glass, a bottle of white homemade wine, a bunch and grape leaves

At home, you will make white wine from these grape varieties:

• Bianca
• Oligote
• Riesling

And the recipe for its preparation is as follows:

• pulp obtained from crushed ripe whole berries, wines with wine yeast for five days
• it is covered with cloth and stands in a warm place
• you stir it daily
• sit and fill the bottle so that a quarter of it remains free
• install a water shutter from a cork with a tube, the second end of which is lowered into a glass of water
• when active fermentation has stopped, add fresh wort until the container is completely filled
• after a month of ripening, uncork the lock and try the wine for sugar. If your goal is dry white wine, then you do not need to add it. If you want to get semi-sweet - add sugar at the rate of 200 g per liter of wort
• bottle the young drink and leave it in a cool place for a couple of weeks until ripe
• light tone and sediment at the bottom - signs of completion of the white wine preparation process
• strain it, removing the sediment, pour it into new containers and send it to the cellar to the nearest feast

What grapes make red wine: a recipe for cooking

  a pair of glasses of homemade red wine

Homemade red wine is made from all varieties of blue, black, red grapes. We list a few:

• Cabernet
• Lydia
• Isabel
• Moldova

Consider another recipe for making homemade red wine.

You need to prepare:

• Ripe but not spoiled grapes
• Wine yeast
• Sugar in the amount of 50-250 g per liter of wort, if you need to get semi-sweet / sweet wine
• Bentonite, or special clay to brighten a home-made hop drink
• Fermentation containers for pulp and must
• Air vent
• Hydrometer
• Disinfecting iodine solution

Procedure:

• Ripe grapes, separated from debris and twigs, crush with your hands / feet / press / mallet. If you add yeast, then you can wash it before that.
• Wipe containers with iodine solution before use to remove microorganisms
• Put the bucket with the pulp in a warm place for 4 days to start fermentation. If you washed grapes, pour in wine yeast
• Thoroughly stir the foam cap every day, and when it does not break, remove it with a spoon
• Strain the wort and wring out the skins of grapes that float on the surface.
• Measure the density of the juice with a hydrometer. If it is 15 or lower, add sugar to taste, but not less than 50 g per liter. If within 20-25, leave the wort wandering without sweetening further
• Install an air vent on the bottle of grape juice
• Shake the bottle periodically for two weeks.
• When the precipitate separates and falls out, transfer the must to a new clean and disinfectant container using a siphon tube
• Measure the density. If you added sugar for the first time, then now add no more than 100 g per liter. If the density index is high both at the first and at the second measurement, it is not necessary to sweeten the wine at all
• Close the container with a must with an air vent and leave it to roam warm for two weeks
• A thick pronounced precipitate signals the need to change containers for juice
• Dilute bentonite in a small amount of wort to the consistency of sour cream. Proportion 2 measured spoons on 10 l of liquid
• Enter the solution, stirring the wort
• Re-stir after a couple of hours
• Leave in a warm place for a week until a precipitate forms.
• Pour the young wine into the bottles so that the sediment does not get into them
• Add some sugar if desired
• Place the bottles in a cool cellar horizontally
• For the next five years, you have ready a supply of homemade red wine, sweet, semi-sweet or dry, depending on the presence of dissolved sugar

Dry wine at home from grapes

  different grapes, white and red house wine in glasses

Connoisseurs of dry wine can easily make it at home from grape varieties that grow in your area.

Based on any of the above recipes. The only feature is that you don’t need sugar at all as an additional ingredient.

Frozen Wine

  grape berries covered with hoarfrost

Ice wine is a unique type of alcoholic beverage made from grapes, both in taste and in manufacturing technology.

Bunches of frozen grapes are harvested after a good frost on a clear sunny day.

Since the consumption of grapes is large and the yield is very small, ice wine is expensive and highly regarded among lovers of this drink.

Berries frozen in the frost are carefully picked on New Year's Eve at the end of December. Grapes should not melt until they are removed from the dose and passed under pressure.

By the way, a liter of ice wine is obtained from 30 kg of selected iced raw materials.

The pulp wanders for a long time - several months. The filtered wort is poured into bottles, which are well corked and stored in cellars for up to 20 years.

And ice wine in an open bottle can only live up to 10 hours if you keep it closed in the refrigerator.

So, we examined the features of preparing different types of wine from various grape varieties. We got acquainted with the technologies for the production of Georgian alcoholic drink and ice wine.

Practice any of the above recipes, save secrets and drink moderate amounts of homemade wine.

Be healthy!

Video: how to make wine at home from Isabella grapes?

Blogger Vladimir Zhoga writes:

I don’t know about you, but I adore Georgian wine!

Saperavi, so tart and rich, dark red, ruby \u200b\u200bcolor, with a bright aroma and taste! They say that it is so tasty, because Georgia has some unique wine-making technology. So how is it made? And why is it so expensive?

To answer these questions, I went to the main wine region of Georgia - Kakheti, where I visited one of the modern Georgian wineries.

Now almost all Georgian wineries make wine using modern European technology, although some factories make some wine using classical Georgian technology, but it is too expensive for industrial production, and wine is 3-4 times more expensive than usual. Therefore, classical Georgian winemaking remained only in villages and in small demonstration halls-museums.

What is the classic Georgian winemaking?

Enormous clay pots are buried underground. Usually they are buried under the house or somewhere in the barn so that the roof is on top. The presence of a buried jug is easily determined by such a hatch in the floor. What is the meaning of these underground tanks? But the fact is that in this way the desired temperature and conditions for fermentation and aging of the wine are achieved. It’s cool underground in summer and warm in winter, so that wine ripens under the same conditions all year round.

When the grapes ripen, they simply pour it into these buried jugs, press in the same place and cover with a lid. All! Next is fermentation. First active, during which it must sometimes be mixed. And about a month later, when active fermentation ends, they catch and remove all the popped up pulp and close tightly throughout the winter for passive fermentation. And already in early spring we get ready Georgian wine !!! The whole cake lies at the bottom of the vat, and above is the purest and most delicious wine! He opened the lid, poured a jug and you can drink. Wine in these underground jugs can be stored and not sour for quite some time. When everything is drunk, the jugs are cleaned and washed thoroughly, and then in the fall everything is new)))

If you want to try just such a “homemade” underground wine, buy from village grannies along the road, with a probability of 99% it will come from just such a Georgian cellar!

At the factory, as I already wrote, long ago they switched to industrial production according to European, or more precisely, according to French technologies.

This is what a modern fermentation shop looks like in a Georgian winery. And in the same way it will look in France, and in Greece, and almost everywhere in Europe)

Here, wine does not wander in jugs underground, but in special containers in which vending machines create and maintain optimal conditions for its maturation. Everything is automated and controlled by computers, so you need only 1 employee to look, so as not to break, and wipe the floor.

After the wine is fermented, it is sent to the cellar for "ripening". We get down to this very cellar. Here we see both classic oak barrels and huge metal containers. Why? Everything is simple. In barrels, expensive vintage wines and brandies are ripening, and in metal tanks - ordinary table wine, which we mostly drink.

Here it is, a cellar with vintage wines. Everything is on the shelves, indicating the year of harvest and grape variety. These bottles are much more expensive than usual.

And if ordinary wine is bottled in six months or a year, then these ripen here for 5-10 years, which makes them (probably) tastier and, naturally, more expensive!

Unfortunately, they didn’t let us into the spill shop (everything is too sterile there) and I couldn’t take a picture of it. But there, too, everything is mega-modern. Cool imported devices do everything without human intervention. Wine, bottle, cork, etiquette - and the finished product is already ready !!!

So why is wine so expensive?

The answer was simple and banal: bottles are bought in France, corks from Spain, labels are also printed somewhere in Europe, and the modern bottling conveyor is also imported and is serviced for euros. So it turns out that at a cost of contents of 50 rubles a bottle of wine costs 300 and above.

But it is not all that bad! For those who want to drink wine and not overpay for packaging, in Georgia they found a way out - plastic containers !!! Yes, here wine is bottled in ordinary plastic bottles of 1 liter, 1.5 liter and the most popular are 5-liter bottles, in which we are used to buying water.

Right at the factory, wine is sold both in glass bottles and in large 5-liter plastic bottles. And if a classic bottle of 0.7 costs somewhere around 350 rubles, then a five-liter bottle comes out about a thousand, i.e. 200 rub per liter. So why overpay? Of course, wine will not be stored in plastic for a long time, but no one stores it here in Georgia. Buy and drink! And I will tell you that the wine in glass and plastic is ABSOLUTELY the same. So you will be in Georgia, feel free to buy plastic bottles. They are usually in the wine departments on the lower shelves. And in restaurants, safely take draft home-made wine, it is always there. And before ordering, you can ask to try.

That's all for me. And remember, Georgian wine in large quantities can harm your health! So drink in moderation)

Homemade Georgian wine is a unique drink, which is a striking symbol of the high art of winemaking in Georgia. The industrial production of Georgian wine is currently extremely developed, however, along with factory products, you can buy home-made Georgian wine in the country, which is prepared by many farmers according to an old recipe.

It is worth noting that the preservation of the traditions of home winemaking is considered to be an important phenomenon in the Georgian wine industry. In many families, especially for residents of villages and towns, to this day they prepare amazing home-made wine, the recipe of which is passed on from generation to generation. Almost every villager has his own small vineyard, which gives amazing fruits. The winemaking traditions of Georgia, passed from father to son, preserved the impregnable walls of the monasteries, so they have survived to our times almost unchanged.

The most vivid home winemaking is manifested in the most famous wine region of Georgia - in Kakheti. Georgian homemade wine from Kakheti is the product that is closest in quality to the wine that was prepared in the area several millennia ago. This unique drink has passed the test of time and today is respected throughout the world. We’ll clarify that Georgian homemade wine is a distinctive, high-quality drink that is not equivalent to artisanal products found anywhere in the world where grapes grow. However, due to the increased interest in Georgian domestic wines on the part of foreign tourists, sometimes you can also find low-quality products, so you should buy homemade wine from trusted masters or on the recommendations of knowledgeable people.

High-quality Georgian house wines are exclusively natural products that do not contain either alcohol, flavorings, or colorings. Most often, village craftsmen can buy dry homemade wines from local grape varieties, but there are also sweet and semi-sweet varieties.

The wine culture of Kakheti is famous for its beautiful customs and traditions. One of the most important holidays, which is held annually in late September and early October, is the so-called Rtveli, dedicated to the harvest of grapes. The whole family goes to harvest, including women and children, and the day ends with a tasting of fine house wines, songs and dances.

Draft wine can be purchased at almost any winery in the country, but it has little to do with a real homemade drink. No matter how hard the owners of the wineries try to keep traditions, but the European influence is still noticeable. A smooth transition from traditional to European winemaking was carried out in the 19th century. For example, today only a few enterprises in Georgia use such ancient wine vessels as qvevri, which are large clay jugs. From ancient times qvevri used for fermentation of wines. The jug was buried in the ground, covered with a lid and left for 3-4 months. After this procedure, the wine turned out to be very bright, expressive and extremely aromatic, with a high content of tannins.

Homemade Georgian wine will help you immerse yourself in ancient winemaking Georgia. Its flavor is characterized by tart notes of spices, fresh fruits and berries. A spicy, tart bouquet of the drink is a consequence of prolonged fermentation of grapes along with peel and seeds, which is considered the main feature of Georgian technology for making homemade wines. This technique is not used in any other state in the world.

If you are planning a trip to Georgia, then do not forget to buy Georgian homemade wine for yourself or as a gift for friends and relatives. A unique drink will help you learn all the facets of the traditional art of winemaking in this beautiful country.

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