A recent article by Kurt Johnson for Conde Nast highlighted Georgian wines as a symbol of national identity among the current landscape of the Caucasus region. Johnson set out to explore one of Georgia’s most famous wine regions- Kakheti- through an organized harvest with a local winemaker. He details the Georgian supra that follows the harvest, full of traditional Georgian food (khinkali and shashlik), wine, and chacha. Examining the unique history of Georgia and the overlapping empires that passed through the country, most of which opposed the production of wine, and the near constant revitalization of Georgian grapes. Through this history, wine became the foundation of Georgian identity- the fight to survive. With an 8,000 year history, Georgians remain the oldest winemakers in the world. Johnson regales the toast after toast, from peace to family, writing: 

“This, I realize, is the true intoxication of the supra. And it’s my first glimpse of how powerfully wine moves everyone in the country of Georgia.”

As the Georgian wine industry grows, it attracts more and more internationally renowned travel journalists to its vines. The media presence and sheer interest in peeking into the identity of Georgian wines is causing this soaring export globally, with the United States and American wine lovers holding a vital role in the future of the industry and the maintenance of this identity. 

Read the full article by Kurt Johnson here: