There are many areas to consider before getting a final answer to this question because many countries have contributed to the wine culture and history.

Many people believe that it was the Romans who invented the first wine. However, they have added a great deal of wine culturing techniques. As their empire expanded, it also added to the fan base of wine as more people were exposed to the world of wine, but that’s not the truth. It’s not France, and neither Italy can claim to be the birthplace of wine. Some facts and claims are hard to comprehend and prove, as wine culture has a very complex and varied evolutionary history.

It comes as a surprise to many people who love wine that China is the birthplace of wine. The concept of grape-based fermented wine dates back to 7000 B.C., but it is still 1000 years ahead of Georgia.

Georgia could be considered the birthplace of wine as the archeological evidence points towards the first known wine created traced back to the ancient people of Georgia about 8000 B.C. These ancient Georgians stumbled upon the discovery that grape juice can be converted into wine when buried underground for a whole winter and sometimes even for more time. Some of the barrels used at that time could be undergrounded for more than 50 years producing high-quality wines that can make a man drunk after 1 or 2 cups. The importance of wind prevailed all over Georgia. Its people crafted it into art and sculptures with elegant grape designs, and proofs of wine drinking were found at ruins in clay pots and burial sites by various archeological teams.

Gadachirili Gora is located on slightly risen ground from soil less than 20 miles towards the south of Tbilisi. Mudbrick houses are built in this region, rising from a clay patch of green and fertile river valley. The ancient Stone Age farmers who inhabited this village for generations about 8000 years ago had possessed a great love for grapes as a delicacy. They used the pottery decorated with bunches of flowers and fruits, and the pollen analysis done by archeological teams strongly suggests that grapevines once covered the nearby woody hillside. The inhabitants of Gadachirili Gora and the people who lived in its nearby villages were the first vintners known. They started producing wine on a large scale as early as 6000 B.C, an old-time when prehistoric people were significantly dependent on stone, clay and bone tools. Winemaking is deeply rooted among the people of Georgia. 

After removing the circular-shaped houses from the site, the archeological team found broken pottery. It also included the round bases of large jars stuck in floors of village houses under the soil. Some other similar samples were found in another Stone Age village site at a distance of a mile from Gadachirili, known as Shulaveri Gora, which was half excavated in the 1960s.

On analysis of these samples, it came to light that the pots have remains of tartaric acid and a chemical fingerprint, which confirmed that wine residues were present in broken pieces of pottery from both sites. The grape carving on the jars and grape pollen in the soil indicates that these dated from 5800 B.C to 6000 B.C. Chemical analysis tells us that Gadachirili Gora‘s people were the first winemakers of the world and were pioneers of this art and culture.  As only a small amount of grape seeds, stems and vines were found preserved in village soil by archeologists; they concluded that a winery was on nearby hills close to the site where grapes were planted.

They kept the wine buried in soil during the winter season when the temperature is cold and low. Afterwards, it was fermented in big wooden barrels and tanks, then poured into smaller pots, usually jars or jugs, and transported to the villages when it was ready to be served.

After some time, the winemakers used pine resins and different herbs to avoid the spoilage of wine to preserve it for a more extended period and mask any unpleasant smell, just like modern winemakers use sulphites to remove any unwanted odour in wine. But no such residues were found in chemical analysis, suggesting that those were very early experiments in winemaking. Biochemical testing on the ancient pots of Georgia showed that even in that early stage, winemakers were adding anti-bacterial preservative agents deliberately to grape juices to prevent it for a more extended period. At that time, wine was produced and used just as a seasonal drink, only enough that could be finished off, leaving little to no wine to turn sour or vinegary in taste. They did not use tree resins or herbs with the wine, making it the first pure wine. There is also this theory that people of that era might know nothing about the helpful nature of tree resins.

After this, soon, people’s thoughts turned to alcohol as a few thousand years had passed. The first wild grasses were grown, and the people of Gadachirili perfected the art of wine fermentation. They were becoming better at improving, breading, planting and harvesting the European grape variety, Vitis Vinifera. They started to learn horticulture methods on how to transplant and produce these grapes. 

Archeologists and other scientists are trying their best to identify the modern varieties of grapes closely related to the grape varieties growing near the village of Gadachirili. Scientists plan to plant an experimental-based vineyard near the town to learn more about how ancient winemaking had worked out. 

Opposite to modern words, the ancient Stone Age people had a taste for much finer things. Those people had a much rich and lavish lifestyle, and they highly appreciated the quality of items and creative minds and arts.

Modern Georgian Wines

Wine is something that is deeply rooted in Georgian culture. More than 500 grape varieties are native to this piece of land considered the cradle of wine. The wines here taste pleasantly unique, full of richness and with mouthwatering aromas. Georgia is an excellent place to fulfill his desire for a wine lover obsessed with good quality wine. You can explore and taste various fine and elegant wines like red wines, white wines, stiller wines, amber wines. More than 20 still wines and an impressive collection of 7 sparkling wines by fermenting grape varieties like Saperavi, Kakhetian Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli. Their three award-winning wines are:

• Badagoni Brut

This wine won a silver medal. It has a creamy richness to it. Initially, you feel dryness in the throat, which is soon replaced by the taste of yellow fruit. It is slightly crisp.

• Badagoni Rose

This wine is a silver medal winner dessert. A fruity wine having the pungent aroma of strawberries and in taste as well. It has a gentle sweetness to its taste.

• Maestro Saperavi

It is also a silver medal winner dessert wine. This wine has sweeter red berry fruits, including strawberry and dark cherries, in perfect balance. It’s good to go with rich dessert dishes.