Georgia. Sakartvelo: the Birthplace of Wine

Georgia, Sakartvelo: the Birthplace of Wine by Terry and Kathy Sullivan reveals a cultural world unknown to many people. The country of Georgia is located to the east of the Black Sea between the Greater Caucasus Mountains and the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. This is a land with a Mediterranean climate where wine, history, food and religion intermix. The people in this region have been making wine continuously for 8,000 years. Discover the qvevri winemaking method that has been used to make natural wine for centuries. Terry and Kathy take readers into Georgia’s culture with an emphasis on wine and history.

What inspired us to write a book about the country Georgia and its connection with wine? Different experiences at different times provided sparks of inspiration. Several years ago, Kathy and Terry decided that, “If we are going to write about wine, we should make wine.” That idea sprang into action in 2008, the year we made three wines at home. The following year, we were making wine at a winery in Virginia and a winery in Maryland. We have continued to make wine ever since. Inspired by our success, we wanted to learn more about winemaking. We took online winemaking courses through Washington State University and attended several winemaking and wine growing conferences. In September 2013, we were offered the opportunity to help make wine in the country Georgia. All of these varied experiences provided us with the knowledge we needed to write the chapter about winemaking in Georgia, Sakartvelo: the Birthplace of Wine.

Buy the book on the Wine Trail Traveler website.