The wines of Georgia

by Lisa Granik

The Republic of Georgia can claim over 8,000 years of winemaking history. However, the current wine industry is very young. Following independence from the Soviet Union, 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 generally, describing the supra tradition, which is poorly captured by the English word 'feasting'. 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.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2019

Reviews

[Simon Woolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no other text book on Georgian wine that comes anywhere close to the level of research and detail that Lisa's book offers.

The fact that Lisa actually lived in Georgia for years, and has been a frequent traveller there for more than a decade really shows in the book.

For lovers of Georgia and Georgian wine, this is an essential addition to the bookshelf.

[Devi Dumbadze · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding new book by the New York wine expert Lisa Granik about "The Wines of Georgia." It's not only academically sound—which may be considered rare, as to the still somewhat under-researched region of Georgia, for authors who are not themselves from that country. Granik draws on about 30 years of personal experience of visits, tastings, explorations with independent Georgian winemakers, too. These unique local experiences saturate her knowledgeable descriptions. The author is a widely acclaimed wine expert—and this only serves readers all too well. The book manages to capture complex peculiarities of the traditional Georgian qvevri method, surveying age-old indigenous grape varieties, characterizing the diverse wine regions and winemakers in detail. And, it's a pleasant read—thanks to an elegant and easy writing style. I believe this book is a go-to introduction to Georgian wines in English from now on, and I highly recommend it.

[Jeroen der Kinderen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captures all you need to know about Georgian Wine .