A collaboration between wine importer Henry Mchedlishvili, Plumpton University, the Georgian National Wine Agency, and the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce has led to the creation of an authentic Georgian “Marani” in Sussex. “Marani” is the Georgian name for a wine cellar that uses the traditional terracotta vessels, “Qvevri”, for the fermentation, clarification and ageing of wine. The technique is 8,000 years old, and has a uniquely unbroken tradition in Georgia.
The marani in Plumpton is fully functional, and is under the technical direction of Professor Giorgi Barisashvili, a Georgian expert of qvevri wine-making. Students of Plumpton’s famous wine-making faculty are able to benefit from the marani, and the wine produced is sold on-site, and on-line.
Henry’s Marani also offers tours and tastings to the public and is a wonderful day out in Sussex. You can sample and buy the wines made using this 8,000 year old Georgian technology, now fully embraced by a new generation of wine-making students in a little corner of rural England.
