Family Qvevri Cellars

In Kakheti many families still make their own wine the traditional way, in a marani, a cellar where large egg-shaped clay jars called qvevri are buried up to their necks in the earth. Crushed grapes, often with their skins, stems and seeds, ferment and age in the sealed qvevri for months. White grapes such as Rkatsiteli, Kakhetian Mtsvane and Kisi made this way turn deep amber, with firm tannins and dried-fruit flavours, while Saperavi gives dark, robust reds. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed the qvevri winemaking method on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

A family cellar visit is usually more personal than a winery tour. Your host opens a qvevri, draws wine with a long-handled ladle and talks about grapes, harvest and the year's vintage, often with homemade chacha, cheese, bread from the tone oven and a full supra if you arrange it. Guesthouses in villages across the Alazani Valley, from around Telavi and Napareuli to Shilda, Kvareli and the villages near Sighnaghi, welcome visitors. Book through your guesthouse, a local guide or a tour operator, and give notice for meals.

Archaeologists have found residues of grape wine in clay jars from around 6000 BC in southern Georgia, among the earliest evidence of winemaking anywhere. Large clay vessels have been used for wine in Georgia ever since, and the skills of making qvevri and wine have passed down through families. In the Soviet period industrial wineries dominated, but home qvevri winemaking survived in Kakheti's villages and has seen a strong revival in recent decades.