What is QVEVRI
Traditional Georgian winemaking is hardly imaginable without Qvevri, a phenomenal vessel which originated in the remote past of Georgian history. This winemaking method, which has started 8000 years ago, is one of the country’s cultural achievements.
Crucially, the entire wine making process takes place within the Qvevri, from fermentation right through to maturation, with the fermenting grape juice often being left on the skins and even grape stems (the ‘mother’) to create wines of exceptional flavour, complexity and colour.
Notably, these include the amber wines that are made from indigenous grape varieties, Rkatsiteli, Kisi and Mtsvane that produce the characteristically dry but full-bodied, aromatic orange wines. Red wines, often made from the Saperavi grapes, are also produced in Qvevri, to produce wines that have an inky purple colour with intense aromatics and dense, supple texture.
The name QVEVRI
The name refers specifically to the large lemon-shaped terracotta pot that is buried in the ground up to its neck. The word literally means ‘that which is buried’ (not to be confused with ‘Amphora’ which are not).
Somewhat bizarrely the traditional way of spelling Qvevri is Kvevri but when Georgian is typed on a standard keyboard the key allocated to this ‘k’ is actually the ‘q’ key; Georgians therefore invariably spell the word with a ‘q’ in English, the Q spelling is increasingly being favoured by the Georgian wine industry because of its graphical resemblance to the oval-shaped Qvevri.
Qvevri technological process
Grapes are pressed and poured together with grape marc in Qvevri, which is buried in the ground. This guarantees an optimal temperature for the aging and storage of wine. The mixture fills the vessel to 80%. As fermentation progresses, the mixture is stirred 4-5 times a day. When fermentation is finished, the Qvevri is filled with the identical mixture and sealed, then left to age for 5-6 month. As a result, a perfect product – a natural wine that is unrivaled in the world of winemaking is born.
Wine made in Qvevri obtains following characteristics:
– Wine turns into amber color
– Becomes rich with tannins
In different regions of the country, it is used differently, however, the principle is the same. Wine undergoes both the fermentation and maturation in Qvevri. Often the use of Qvevri is determined by the climate of the region. As the regions get hotter, the more skins and stems tend to be fermented with the grapes – if stems are left in the wine in the cooler regions it can produce wines that are far too ‘green’ and harsh.
How QVEVRI is made
The Qvevri themselves are made today by less than a handful of surviving master craftsmen; Such is their importance to the history of winemaking that the United Nations placed them on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.
The Qvevri themselves are made today by less than a handful of surviving master craftsmen; Such is their importance to the history of winemaking that the United Nations placed them on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.
Think you’ve got it tough? Cleaning a Qvevri takes a whole day of scrubbing with this old fashioned brush.
After all of that, like a giant egg, the vessel is sunken into the earth to prevent it from cracking or breaking from build-up of pressure during fermentation. There it will protect its embryonic wine for an average six-to-nine month gestation, safe from external threats such as potential earthquake and fluctuating temperatures.