Georgian qvevri sculpture placed in northern Italy’s ancient city for wine festival

A sculpture of the historical Georgian qvevri wine storage vessel has been placed in Merano, a history-rich city in Italy’s north, as part of the annual local wine festival, the national wine agency of Georgia said on Thursday.

Unveiled during the Merano Wine Festival, the sculpture features an inscription detailing the 2013 inclusion of the ancient Georgian winemaking tradition in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Photo: The National Wine Agency of Georgia

It also highlights the 8,000-year continuous legacy of winemaking on the territory of Georgia, making it the place of the oldest history of the practice that has involved the use of qvevri, an amphora-like clay vessel for underground storage of wine.

Such an emphasis on Georgian wine at the festival of such importance is highly appreciated, since the Merano Wine Festival has been held for 30 years and is one of the most authoritative ones in Europe”, the national agency’s executive director Tina Kezeli said.

Photo: The National Wine Agency of Georgia

Agency chairman David Tkemaladze said the body’s international positioning of Georgia as the birthplace of winemaking marked “the beginning of new life for our wine”. 

Hosted between November 4-8, the festival brought together hundreds of wine producers from across Europe, and featured dignitaries including Merano mayor Dario Dal Medico, Georgia’s ambassador to Italy Konstantine Surguladze, festival founder Helmud Köcher and Tkemaladze.