Wine from Alaverdi cellar

Ketevan Mgebrishvili, Tbilisi-Kakhetia. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Yesterday, the Federal Supervision Agency for Customer Protection and Human Welfare reported on beginning of the state registration procedure of Georgian wine products. However, Rospotrebnadzor notes there are difficulties in transportation of samples, and it is ready to ask the Russian Foreign Ministry to help representatives of enterprises which are allowed to export wine and mineral water to Russia to get Russian visas. Meanwhile, the Economic Prosperity Initiative USAID-Georgia organized a wine tour across Kakhetia for local journalists. Journalist Ketevan Mgebrishvili shared her impressions with Vestnik Kavkaza.

We came to Alaverdi afternoon and the weather was cloudy. Rain disturbed us from shooting. For the first time I was surprised in a good way when I saw tables “Dress Code” at an entrance to a cathedral.

We entered the grand cathedral founded in the 5th century by St. Joseph Alaverdi and lit candles. We were guided to the monastery cellar by monk, Father Gerasim who told us about archeological excavations in the cathedral’s yard. The monk showed us ruins of ancient buildings and a 100-year jar which is lying at the cellar entrance as an exhibit. Father Gerasim demonstrated wine producing equipment and told about the technology of monastery wine producing. We entered the cellar and saw dozens of jars and an ancient wine press.

Speaking about Georgian traditional producing of wine in jars, the monk noted that the culture of “zedashe” was especially important for Georgia. Zedashe is a red wine which is used in cathedrals for communion and wedding ceremonies. Georgian dictionaries say that “Zedashe is a sacrificial wine which is used for liturgy with crisp bread.” According to Father Gerasim, in ancient times almost all produced wine in monastery cellars was determined to be used in church ceremonies. In family cellars our ancestors stored one jar which was called on behalf of a saint, and it contained zedashe for church. “Today this tradition began to revive, the population take the lead from our monastery. The Alaverdi Cathedral’s cellar encouraged wine producing in a Georgian village, and it pleases us very much,” Father Gerasim says.

In 2006 the restored cellar of the monastery was presented. In more than six months archeological analysis of the cellar and its complete rehabilitation were finished. New rooms for wine producing were built. The company Badagoni helped monks very much. Te monastery is still cooperating with it. In recent years many foreign wine producers are buying jars in Georgia and are taking them away together with Georgian wine producing technology. “Of course they cannot completely copy our method as in Georgia everything is different – kinds of grape, the location, the climate, producers, and devotedness to the business. These factors influence wine quality,” the monk says.

Speaking about the wine producing technology, Father Gerasim explained that after pressing of wine, the liquid mass was put into jars where fermentation took place. After this wine was seasoning for 6 months, and in spring it was put into another jar. This time is needed for gaining a certain quality of wine.

From the cellar we headed to a shop for tourists where one could buy wines from the Alaverdi cellar, beautiful jars, and other souvenirs. Father Gerasim proudly presented to us diplomas which the monastery won in international contests.

Today wine from the Alaverdi Monastery’s cellar is exported to Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, the UK, and the USA. The monastery doesn’t lack buyers. “We have rejected many proposals. Once we had a client who proposed buying the whole collection of wine, all jars, he said the price would be huge. But we rejected the proposal,” Father Gerasim says. The monk emphasized that the monastery had no intention to make it a wine producing factory.