Georgia’s Christmas Traditions
In Georgia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. As a predominately Georgian Orthodox country, they follow the old Julian calendar – and have some distinctly Georgian traditions. On Christmas Day,…
Food and folklore in Georgia
Last week, we examined how understanding the way Georgians regard food and drink is essential to understanding their cultural identity. But just as food and drink are clearly linked to…
Georgia’s cultural identity: food and drink
If you want to understand a bit about Georgia, and the unique Georgian people, you have to understand that there are two things which are central to their national identity:…
Deceptively modern winemaking
Georgia is widely celebrated for its qvevri wines. Making wine in qvevri is a tradition 8000 years in the making – and qvevri wines are having their deserved moment in…
Georgian ‘khantsi’ drinking horns
Drinking horns can seem like a relic of an ancient culture. They feature heavily in stories of Viking beer halls, legends of Thor and Medieval feasting where they were preserve…
What is a Marani?
Many Westerners who know a bit about wine talk about the wine itself and the processes to make it using specific language. We all understand what words like ‘cellar’ mean.…
The role of the Tamada
We’ve explored how the supra is an essential part of Georgian culture. So essential, in fact, that it’s been added to UNESCO’s list of international cultural heritage. But we have…
Understanding the supra
Georgian hospitality is the stuff of legend. And the supra really is a feast of legendary proportions – to the British, the sort of special occasion meal we’d partake in…
Is that a wolf in the vines?
Caucasian Shepherd dogs guarding Georgia’s wineries make a trip to wine country unlike any other. At the peak of the Gombori mountain pass, travelers find a little hut shrouded in…
Going nutty for Georgian food
In Georgia, “You’ll rarely drink wine without food and rarely eat without wine,” promises Sarah May Grunwald in her Tbilisi guide for Jancis Robinson’s website. If we had our way,…