The Qvevri is a unique oval-shaped earthenware vessel in which wine is fermented and stored
Let no one think that Georgians are boasting, our roots truly have been deeply reinforced in the land blessed by God, the land allocated to the Virgin Mary, filled with lots of treasure gifted by God. Since olden times-Here , in this soil saturated with the extract flown from the mountains’ streams, more than one varieties of vine opened their babyish eyes, made the first steps and freely dispersed over the Alazani Valley like the winning Pearls, but did not stop,…it’s wonder!...paved the way even up to the Man’s Heart, penetrated within the Heart of His Heart and settled down there forever. For the sake of His love towards Vine itself, a Man's Heart merged with His Mind and with own hands He knitted the whole subtlety in creating an unrivaled earthenware vessel , whichHe called the Qvevri . The creation of the oldest Qvevri on the land blessed by God began more than 7,000 years ago, - yes! - of the very mystical vessel, the process of Vine murmuring and fermentation in the midst of the Heart of which became a famous ancient tradition in the field of wine-making. It is just Georgia-the only and unique country from which the method of wine-making in the Qvevri spread to other countries, (such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and beyond). By the way, In the old days in our country the Qvevri was usually used not only for wine-making, but for storing wheat, butter, cheese, chacha, vodka, pickles and other foodstuffs.
Blessed be the very Hands which created a large earthenware vessel—Qvevri, resembling egg-shaped amphorae without handles. This merciful indeed vessel is either buried below ground or set into the floors of large wine cellars, so called Maranis. Qvevris vary in size: volumes range from 20L to around 10,000 L; the vessel of 800 L capacity is typical.
It overjoys us to have the fact, that archaeological excavations in the southern region of Georgia, in particular, the localities of Kvemo Kartli (notably in Dangreuli (Ruined ) Gora, Gadachrili ( Pruned) Gora and the village Imiri ) uncovered evidence of grape pips and Qvevris dating back to the VI millennium B.C.
,,alive’’, this gian You’ll be surprised, but it must be said, that the Qvevri handcrafted with special clay is t ,, body '' half-buried in the ground ,,breathes’’, ,,life is lived'' in it and this ''life'' is the unique Georgian wine itself,- yes!- they usually say – There is the same wine in the Qvevri, as -the soul in the body. If we part them from each other, do you know what will happen? The ,,body’’ will decay and die ... It's a pity, is not it? - should not be constantly streaming ,,life’’ in this unearthly ,,body’’ lubricated inside with the melted fat or beeswax? - Yeah, it should! Its ,,soul’’ is a tiny ,, baby’’, isn’t it?- ,,alive’’, with the ,,infant’’ veins, ,,babyish’’ tears, murmuring, and if it is in a healthy ,,body’’ ready for becoming staid, as soon as it stops growth, it will be turned into the healthy wine. The Qvevri can be used for hundred years and more so, that does not affect the taste of the wine. The empty, ,,exhausted’’ Qvevri needs care, needn’t it? - Rinsing with limewater and re-lubricating with beeswax will settle the ,,life’’ down again in its ,, Heart ‘‘ with God’s grace’!-"Oh, Lord, You-Kurmukhi’s Church! (St. George’s church) give us great abundance of red wine in our Qvevris!’’... (Takaishvili 1913: 1).
P.S
In 2013 the Georgian wine-making method in the Qvevri was given a Cultural Heritage status by the committee of UNESCO and the monument of the very Vessel was placed in the inner courtyard of the UN Office at Geneva.