The birthplace of wine - Keti Siradze and the Georgian wine world

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Somebody once told me that the history of wine is the history of mankind. Well, without going to any lengths to verify the veracity of that proposition, what I can say is that wine is serious old, and wine has a seriously old relationship with humanity. I always loved ancient history. I have long been fascinated by the Old Testament stories, the tales that came out of Mesopotamia, the sea faring Phoenicians, the Greek Epics, then the conquests and cultural footprint the ancient Romans left behind. Throughout all these stories, the rise and fall of civilisations – wine takes up pages in all of these narratives. I fell in love with the stories of what we would call “old world wine”, of old world Burgundy and the Benedictine monks at Cote Chalonnaise , the story of the Gallo Nero, the black rooster of Chianti Classico region, stories that bring the past to life in an abundance of colour. But wine goes back so much further. I recently sat down with Keti Siradze, a native of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, who has made it her mission to share her passion for Georgian wine with the world. Georgia lays claim to being the birthplace of wine, with many dating the country’s wine making history back as far as 8000 BC. For a country that has seen and survived the rise and fall of many civilisations, Georgia’s relationship with wine has always been rich. When talking with Keti, one can tell that her passion for Georgian wine is as rich as the countries culture itself. Keti gave me an overview of the Georgian wine scene, and she discussed current trends, movements and problems impacting it. She also shares her story and her hopes for the future. A massive thanks to Keti for joining me.

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