TASTING AND TOASTING IN THE CRADLE OF WINE

Whether you're an oenophile, aspiring sommelier or just a traveller who trips on tippling tales, a wine trail in picturesque Kakheti is sine qua non to an immersive Georgia itinerary.

- SHIKHA SHAH

Sipping wine in Georgia is similar to enjoying velvety gelato in Italy or gorging on sinuous sushi in Japan. For a tiny Caucasian nation, Georgia has an immensely rich winemaking tradition, dating back 8,000 years. Archaeological evidence reveals that Georgians were the first to discover that grape juice could be turned into wine by burying pressed, whole grapes, with their skin, stem and pips, in an egg-shaped clay pot called qvevri and leaving it to ferment for five to six months. This unique, traditional Georgian wine-making technique is UNESCO listed for its cultural value and passed down through generations. Hence, Georgian families and communities produce their own wine which often flows liberally, in elegant glassware, over an endless stream of toasts by the tamada (toastmaster) at a supra (celebration or feast), whatever the occasion.

Vino is so indispensable to Georgian identity and sense of pride that wine cellars are considered holy places, wine-drinking paraphernalia have been found at ruins and burial sites, and home gardens are adorned with grape-vine wrapped trellises. Expect to see wine and vines as carvings on tombs; on artwork and sculptures depicting the local way of life and in the form of local staples like churchkhela (walnut candy made from grape juice), and chacha (a strong liquor made from grape pomace).

From grape to glass on the Kakheti Wine Route