Foreign students study Georgian winemaking in Kakheti

Eighteen students of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) are visiting Georgia to learn about Georgian wine, its rich history and study the ancient winemaking methods of the country.

So far students have visited National Wine Museum in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi where they watched a presentation on Georgian wine culture.

They also visited Georgia’s wine region Kakheti where they went to see different wine producer companies. There the students were introduced to qvevri (a large, ancient Georgian winemaking vessel) wine-making technology. Later they were invited to taste an array of Georgian wines.

The OIV, whose office is in Paris, has a master program which enables the students to learn about winemaking of different countries. It is already the second year that Georgia is also part of the program and introduces its wine history and culture to the representatives of this organisation”, said head of the Georgian National Wine Agency Giorgi Samanishvili.

Students tasted some of Georgian wine while in Kakheti. Photo by Wines of Georgia. 

Samanishvili added that the students were mostly impressed by qvevri winemaking technology. Qvevri wine-making is an ancient Georgian tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation that even today remains widespread around Georgia. The traditional Georgian method of making qvevri wine has been approved by UNESCO to be included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The OIV, which replaces the International Vine and Wine Office, is an intergovernmental organisation of a scientific and technical nature of recognised competence for its works concerning vines, wine, wine-based beverages, table grapes, raisins and other vine-based products.