Viticulture in Georgia
The Georgian wine has a long tradition that dates back over 7000 years. Georgia is one of the countries of origin of viticulture and cultivated grapevines . The country has favorable geological and climatic conditions. In 2005 the vineyard area was estimated at 60,000 hectares . In addition to a large variety of traditional local grape varieties , some international standard varieties are also grown. Wine is the country's second most important export item (after the export of scrap iron). Russia has traditionally been the largest buyer, but trade to Russia has declined sharply since the Caucasus War in 2008 .
Traditional viniculture in amphorae ( Quevri ) was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013 .
Growing regions
There are four different wine-growing regions in Georgia . It is Kakheti in the east, Kartli with the Kura -Tal the southeast, Imereti in the west central part and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti to the northwest of the country. The largest wine plantations are in Eastern Georgia, and Kakheti is a heartland of wine growing. The names of the wines represent their growing areas. According to old tradition, it is forbidden to blend wines with one another, which guarantees the purity of the varieties and growing areas.
The situation is different in western Georgia, where the landscape is dominated by mountain and hilly countries. The structure of the landscape and the different mineralogical consistency of the soils influence the growth of the vines. Another factor is the incidence of sunlight, which leads to different levels of juice in the grapes even on the same slope and makes it impossible to build larger systems. It may be in western Georgia that even on two directly adjacent slopes or Wingerten very different vines are grown, which are characterized by their own characters. No large quantities are produced here, the wines are unique. Accordingly, viticulture is labor-intensive and requires the attention of the winemaker. This can be seen in the houses: Many are closed off from the street and open with windows and balconies to the vineyard slope.
Kakheti
Kakheti in the valleys of the Alasani and Iori in the southeast is the most important cultivation region. The climate is temperate ( mesoclimate ). The average annual precipitation is 400 to 800 mm and the average annual temperature is between 10.5 and 11 ° C. There are calcareous soils, sometimes also alluvial soils. The main grape varieties here are Rkaziteli (white) and Saperawi (red). In Kakheti, 70% of the grapes are grown for winemaking and distilled wines for distillates . There are three cultivation areas and over 25 sub-areas, for example Achmeta, Kwarelo-Kindsmarauli, Manawi, Napareuli and Zinandali . In this region the characteristic kachetische wine (Georgian by fermentation in special jars produced kvevri ), followed by an extended three to four months mash storage as practiced for thousands of years, a peculiarly tanninherbe obtained Art.
Kartlien
The Inner Kartlien region is located in a large area in the Kura Valley and encloses the lowlands Gori and Muchran. Around 15% of Georgian production comes from this area. European-style wines for export as well as base wines for brandy and for sparkling wine-making are produced here . It is moderately warm here, the summers are hot and dry. Because of the low rainfall (350 to 500 mm annual mean), artificial irrigation is required.
Georgia's capital Tbilisi with its large sparkling wine cellars and distilleries is located in this region. The oldest winery in Tbilisi, founded in 1897, has a collection of rarities with around 1,600 wines with a volume of around 150,000 bottles. Not only regional products are stored there, but also very old foreign ones, for example cognac from 1811, Madeira and Marsala from 1822, sherry from 1848 and Tokaj from 1846.
Imereti
In the eastern part of western Georgia, in the valleys and gorges of the Rioni , Qwirila and others, is the Imereti region . On the fertile alluvial land, in the sheltered microclimate along the rivers, a variety of grape varieties thrive, of which the white Zizka is particularly typical for the region. Here, too, a time-honored vinification method is used, which is similar to the kakheti, only grape skins are put into the clay jars in which fermentation takes place, which is reminiscent of the Italian Governo process . This is followed by a six to eight week mash storage.
Ratscha-Letschchumi
The Ratscha-Letschchumi region lies north of Imereti on the banks of the Rioni and Tcheniszkali rivers . Only moderate rainfall (1000 to 1300 mm annually), southern exposure and a number of autochthonous grape varieties produce grapes with a high sugar content. The Chwantschkara sub-area is known for its lovely Chwantschkara wine. a. from the grape varieties Alexandruli and Mujurtuli.
Subtropical regions
Abkhazia , Adjara , Guria and Mingrelia can be combined into a fifth area. In the humid subtropical climate of these regions, mainly sweet wines are produced, which are almost exclusively intended for the regional market. Wine is also exported through the Poti harbor .
Grape varieties and products
Grape varieties
The quality of Georgian red wines was respected in the former Soviet Union. About 60 to 70% of the total vineyard area in Georgia is planted with red varieties. Wild grapes are still widespread in Georgia today. There is Vitis vinifera with the subspecies silvestris represented today. There are several nurseries.
Over 500 autochthonous grape varieties can be differentiated. 38 varieties are officially approved for commercial viticulture. These include Aladasturi , Alexandrouli , Chi Nuri , Tschchaweri , Goruli mtsvane , Dswelschwari Obtschuri , Katschitschi , Chichwi , Kratschuna , Mudschuretuli , mtsvane , Odschaleschi , Orbeluri , Rkatsiteli , Saperavi , Siska , Zolikuri and Ussatscheluri . Also Vitis - Isabella , Fetească Alba , Fetească Muskatnaia and Fetească Regala is often found. However, modern wine marketing also requires the cultivation of international varieties. That is why Aligoté , Chardonnay , Riesling , Cabernet Sauvignon , Malbec , Merlot and Pinot Noir are also planted in Georgia .
Denominations of Origin
Well-known wines and appellations are Achascheni (red), Anaga (white), Chwantschkara (red), Kakhetinskoje (white), Kardanachi (white), Kindsmarauli (red), Kwareli , Mukusani (red), Napareuli (red, white) , Salchino (red), Teliani (red) and Zinandali (white). The recognition value of the designations of origin is reduced by different spellings. One day you find Tsinandali , another time Zinandali or Mukusani instead of Mukuzani .
In addition to red and white wines from local and European grape varieties, large quantities of fortified and sweet liqueur wines are produced. There are four sparkling wine producers in Georgia. The market situation in this area is stable.
Brandy
Georgian brandy is known as Chacha and is characterized by a noble and fine bouquet with a vanilla aroma, a soft, velvety taste and a pleasant amber color. Chacha is a by-product of viticulture and is distilled by the winemakers themselves for their own use, which is permitted under Georgian law, and Chacha is also produced on a large scale by industrial companies. Chacha is partly stored in oak barrels and gets additional wood aromas and color from the barrels. A prosperous cognac production was established in Georgia as early as 1884 under David Saradjishvili . At the Yalta Conference , Josef Stalin surprised Winston Churchill with the quality of the "Grusinian cognac" . ("Grusinien" is the Russian name translated into German for Georgia.)
The production steps are comparable to the Charentais methods. In Russia, the brandy can be called cognac . However, the label must be printed in Cyrillic script .
history
Beginnings
The oldest records of viticulture in Georgia today are dated 6000–5800 BC. Dated. Grape seeds, tools and vessels over 4,000 years old have been excavated in Mzcheta , Trialeti, Pizunda and in the Alasani Valley. The clay jugs contained the white Rkaziteli variety . An examination of the grape seeds suggested that vines were already being cultivated at that time. A short piece of grapevine, covered with silver, from Trialeti is on display in the Tbilisi National Museum. It dates to around 2500 BC. Chr.
The Greek Argonauts legend reports that the Argonauts, led by Jason, found climbing vines at the entrance to the royal palace and a fountain with wine in the shade of the trees on their arrival in the capital Colchis . The origins of the legend go back to the 8th century BC. BC when the Greek colonization opened up the Black Sea coast. The west Georgian state of Colchis is believed to have been there since the 6th century BC. Not only was wine grown, but also exported. There were close economic ties to Greece and the Persian Empire .
Middle Ages and Modern Times
The traditional grapevine cross of the Georgian Orthodox Apostle Church represents grapevines that are interwoven with the hair of St. Nino . This should demonstrate that the Christian faith and the grapevine are the most sacred goods in the land. On the walls of temples in Samtavisi, Ikalto , Gelati , Nikortsminda, Vardzia you can find ornaments with grape-bearing vines and the throne of the patriarch in the monastery complex and Zarmza Haghpat is decorated with grapes. The Ichalto Academy, founded in the 12th century, documented viticulture in Georgia. From the 15th to the 18th century, viticulture collapsed again under Ottoman occupation . Islamic laws suppressed the production of wine from grapes.
Between 1816 and 1818 Swabian Pietists with an understanding of wine immigrated to southern Georgia. In addition to growing fruit and vegetables, the Caucasian Germans devoted themselves to viticulture.
In the second half of the 19th century the vineyard area occupied 71,200 hectares, but the phylloxera and fungal diseases brought in from America reduced it to 37,400 hectares by the beginning of the 20th century. In order to return the destroyed vineyards to productive use, phylloxera-resistant American rootstock vines were imported.
Soviet Union
In Soviet times (see Georgian SSR ) Georgian wine was very popular. An era of mass production began. The vineyard area increased from 1950 to 1985 from 58,000 to 128,000 hectares. Annual wine production was 800,000 tons in the mid-1980s.
The Prohibition of the 1980s hit Georgia hard. Acres of vineyards were laid down in connection with the fight against alcoholism. Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign destroyed valuable goods. The Georgian wine industry ran into serious difficulties.
Independence and "wine war" with Russia
After Georgia's independence in 1991 and joining the World Trade Organization on June 14, 2000, Georgia's economy had to reorient itself . The traditional buyer Russia boycotted Georgian products for several years. After that, it only paid with transfer rubles . Wine is the country's second most important export item. 70% of the production went to Russia alone. Therefore, the Georgian wine industry was hit hard when Russia imposed an import ban in March 2006. Similar restrictions were also imposed on wine from Moldova . A meeting of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the CIS summit in June 2007 brought some relaxation, but did not end the embargo. The chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Russia's former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov , has now admitted the futility of these sanctions.
Viticulture today
Quality assurance as a challenge
Due to the Russian boycott, the Georgian wine industry was looking at high pressure for new sales countries. The requirements of the international market require compliance with certain standard criteria in order to gain a foothold in the high-price segment of the international market. This includes information on the purity of the variety , the growing area and the origin of the grapes. The Georgian Wine Law of 2002 formulates the legal framework for controlled viticulture according to international standards. A functioning system for checking wine quality and origin does not yet exist, but is in preparation (see technical cooperation ).
Due to its reputation , Georgian wine is a popular object of wine enthusiasts and is forged on a large scale, especially outside the country. Although Georgia only produced around 50 million bottles of wine (2005), 100 million bottles of "Georgian" wine are sold in Russia every year. 15 million bottles of the famous Georgian Khvanchkara are sold annually in Russia, although Georgia only fills 0.9 million bottles of this. In addition to the wine, Georgian designations of origin such as Kindsmarauli or Chwanchkara are also forged. The Georgian government is trying to stop the fraud. The fight against counterfeiting is difficult, especially in Russia.
Cultivation methods and cellars
In the past, tannic and sweet red wines and dark-colored white wines were desired. Today only some of Georgian wines are mass-produced. The majority of Georgian wineries switched their concept from mass to quality production. The wineries have now learned how to use their products to take advantage of opportunities on the international market. Georgian wine production, which fell to 100,000 tons in the 1990s, has also attracted international investors since 1994 and has been equipped with modern technology. Their wines are still in need of improvement, but the progress is unmistakable.
In 2017 the vineyard area was 48,000 hectares, on which 2,000,000 hectoliters of wine were produced. In 2004 Georgia exported over 234,000 hectoliters of wine and wine products, of which more than 90,000 hectoliters were dry, semi-sweet and strong white and red wines. 344,000 hectoliters are consumed in the country itself. A large part is marketed as fresh grapes. The Federal Statistical Office cooperates with TACIS-8 to improve the recording of important key figures . There is no stop to cultivation. New vineyards are planted with grafted young vines. Support and vine training systems are used in cordon and fan shapes with multiple rods, in the Georgian system with rods in one or two directions and in pergola forms. The plantings are spaced between rows and rows of 1.5 × 2 or 2 × 3 meters; the trunk height is 60 cm to 1.20 meters. Protective structures with nets are made in particularly hail-prone areas.
In Tbilisi and other places there are state-of-the-art bottling plants, which are due to international financial aid and traditional connections a. to Germany, meet the latest standards. These are systems from Tbilvino , Teliani Valley , Telavi Wine Cellar , Vazi + , Zinandali , Wine Company Shumi , Georgia Wine & Spirits , Manavi Wine Cellar , Taro Ltd. , Vasiani , Chetsuriani , JSC Sarajishvili & Eniseli , Samtrest and Aia . In order to be in line with the market, the packaging and equipment must also be right, self-adhesive labels are standard in progressive companies.
In Germany, the wine country Georgia is represented annually at the ProWein trade fair in Düsseldorf with a small stand. The Georgian wineries are very popular with dealers as exotic, as the sales channels have not yet been established and adequate margins can be achieved. The history of wine is also fully featured here as a service. The exhibition offer includes red, white and rosé wines, consumer and vintage wines as well as rarities, fortified wines and sparkling wines, brandies, liqueurs and aperitifs, but also wine literature.
Research and technical cooperation
The Georgian Wine Institute , based in Tbilisi, was founded in 1890. It had its wedding around 1930. At that time it was the only wine institute in the Soviet Union and a leader in this field. The establishment for viticulture and cellar management at the time did a particularly good job of combating phylloxera and the damage it caused . Because the institute is state-owned, Director Nodar Tschchartischwili lacks funds for research work. The budget is just enough to maintain the building.
From 2003 to 2006 the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development supported the Ministry of Agriculture in Georgia in establishing a wine quality system. The sponsor is the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The project promoted cooperation between the state viticulture administration and the viticulture industry. The GTZ wine laboratory is located in a new building, equipped with the latest technical equipment. The background to the investment is the requirement of the EU that only analytically tested, flawless wines are allowed to leave Georgia for the community. Nobody in Georgia could meet this requirement and so Germany was asked for help. Recognized wine chemists have compiled a list of state-of-the-art analyzers that are intended to make complete control possible.
GTZ set up the laboratory with German funds, with the stipulation that all auxiliary materials used in the future come from German companies and that the remaining four Georgian employees must also be trained in Germany. The laboratory is ready for use, but the employees are currently only practicing on various wines. Official approval is still missing and even then it remains to be seen how the control system will work. In Georgia there is a wine law that is similar to the German one, but no independent control bodies (wine testers).
GTZ started its Private Sector Development project in Georgia at the beginning of 2005. The Georgian government is being advised on establishing a functioning viticulture administration and controlled viticulture. The initial aim is to develop the economic environment for small and medium-sized companies in the Georgian wine industry, tourism and food processing. GTZ and advisors to German wine schools are working, among other things, to make it clear to those responsible in the wine industry how important training and advice centers are for qualified young vintners. Professional organizations such as the winegrowing and winery association as well as cooperative special-purpose associations are specifically promoted. Viticulture and winery staff are trained to be multipliers. They receive technical and business training and should pass on the knowledge they have acquired in their companies and associations.
With the support of KfW Development Bank, a viticulture cadastre is being introduced to clearly document the origin and location of the growing areas. The Georgians can bring German advisors into the goods to improve the quality of their wines and adapt them to Western tastes. For example, a specialist in cellar management issues from the DLR Rheinpfalz in Neustadt has been visiting the state's companies for twelve years .
The German Agricultural Society e. V. (DLG) and the DAAD support Georgia in its further efforts to find a connection to the international wine industry. Nugsar Ksovreli from Tbilisi was awarded a further education award from the DLG . The 33-year-old laureate studied winemaking technology at the Georgian Agricultural University. He graduated with honors as a production engineer in 1994 and then did his doctorate at the Georgian Research Institute for Horticulture, Viticulture and Cellar Management. Due to his outstanding achievements, he received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and thus made his first contacts with the German wine industry. Nugsar Ksovreli has been working on the project commissioned by GTZ since 2003.
Wine culture
Even today, wine is as widespread as part of culture in no other Transcaucasian country as in Georgia . Here even the tombstones of the national heroes are shaped like vines and grapes. When the Georgian celebrates a wedding, the bride's father as the organizer of a traditional wedding should have five hundred to one thousand liters of wine ready. Kartlis Deda (German mother of Georgia ) is a monumental statue in the capital Tbilisi . She symbolizes the city of Tbilisi and holds a bowl of wine for friends in her left hand, a sword against her enemies in her right.
Traditional winemaking
Wine culture and the secrets of winemaking have been preserved and practiced in Georgia for thousands of years. Evidence for this are two special Georgian methods of winemaking, the imeretic and the kakheti method. The poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) tasted better wines than Burgundy using these traditional methods .
The processing of the wine takes place in the smaller companies according to traditional traditions. The grapes come after cutting into a vat, Marani called. His bunghole is closed with a stopper, one or more helpers climb into the vat and stamp the grapes with their feet. When the grapes are squeezed, the juice, called machari , is left to stand for a few days. When fermentation begins, the juice is poured into glass or porcelain vessels until the fermentation process is complete. The young wine is now poured into Quevri . These clay pots are embedded in the earth and have a capacity of 10 to 100 liters in small businesses and up to 2000 liters in larger wineries. Only the neck protrudes from the ground. They are sealed with a stone that is sealed with clay and wood ash to prevent mold from entering. The wine stays in these earthen vessels until it is ripe.
Another tradition is based on the life cycle: When a boy is born, a quevri is filled with young wine. Years later, when the grown man has found a wife and marries, the wine is served at his wedding.
Table rituals
A very important ritual of the Georgian table are Sadgegrdselo (German: toast ) and Tamada (the symposiarch who directs the table). Before you start eating, you choose a person who will direct what is happening at the table and offer toasts. This so-called Tamada offers the first toast, which is varied by the other guests. He makes his toasts in a set order. First he drinks to the welfare of the family who invited. Toasts to Georgia and the memory of the deceased and heroes should not be missing, this is how you show your love of home and honor the deceased. One usually drinks to parents, friends, relatives, the past or future of Georgia, etc.
Stories are also told that are related to the theme of the saying, so a saying can sometimes take 15 minutes. A toast can go something like this: “A Georgian song tells us: 'The reason we are is love, and that must undoubtedly be true. If it weren't for love, our nation, whose history for centuries has been a history of wars and struggles, could not survive. Georgians have based their life on the ancient saying: He is the enemy of himself who does not look for a person in life to love and by whom he will be loved. And I just want to drink to love now. To love! '"
Singing is also part of the Georgian table ceremony. If a guest comes during the meal, he will be invited to the table, regardless of whether it is an everyday meal or a banquet. If wine is drunk, the guest must drink to the benefit of the host.
literature
- Anna Saladze: Georgian Wine Translation: Claudia Tancsits, Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 2018 ISBN 978-3-7020-1742-2
Movie
- Georgia, the cradle of wine. Documentary, Germany, 2008, 42:30 min., Script and direction: Pierre Goetschel, production: MedienKontor FFP, GEO , arte , series: 360 ° Geo-Reportage, first broadcast: May 16, 2009 by arte.
Web links
- Hvino News - News about wine in Georgia, database of manufacturers and importers (english)
- Georgian Wine Catalog - Catalog of Georgian wines with independent ratings
- Georgian wine competition 2006
Individual evidence
- ↑ Georgia made 'world's oldest wine' . November 13, 2017 ( bbc.com [accessed March 3, 2019]).
- ↑ Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method Inscribed in 2013 (8th COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, accessed on March 3, 2019
- ^ Ministry of Food Industry of the USSR: The Inter-Republican Winery in Moscow . Moscow 1985 (Russian and English).
- ↑ Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon (Oxford Companion to Wine) . Hallwag, Munich 2003 ( ISBN 3-7742-0914-6 ).
- ^ Rudolf Knoll : Aufbruch Most . Mainz 2007 (special issue Vinum : ProWein 2007).
- ↑ Mikael Mölstad, Belinda Stublia: The world of wine. The comprehensive guide to 55 wine countries . Suedwest Verlag 2002 ( ISBN 978-3-517-07863-2 ).
- ^ Patrick McGovern et al .: Early Neolithic wine of Georgia in the South Caucasus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , November 13, 2017, accessed November 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Temur Ortoidze, Fritz Schumann: German settlers as winegrowers! Ed .: Goethe Institute. Tbilisi ( Germans in Georgia ).
- ↑ Country information from the Federal Foreign Office on Georgia ( Memento from September 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Christoph Moeskes: On Georgia . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , November 24, 2006
- ^ "Sanctions against Georgia pointless" . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , June 15, 2007
- ↑ 2018 World Vitiviniculture Situation , OIV (2018) (PDF)
- ↑ Strategy and program plan for the years 2009 to 2013. (PDF; 1.77 MB) (No longer available online.) Federal Statistical Office , December 2009, archived from the original on November 13, 2010 ; accessed on November 6, 2018 .
- ^ Heinrich-Jürgen Schilling: gtz project . Tbilisi 2003 ( support in setting up a wine quality system ( memento of September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )).
- ^ GTZ in Georgia
- ^ Excursion of the DLR Pfalz . In: German viticulture . No. 8. Neustadt an der Weinstrasse April 22, 2005.
