“A churi is a vessel made of clay: qvevri, kvibari, kotso, khalani, dergi, lagvni, lagvnari and the like.”

Qvevri-making used to be the leading branch of the five branches of pottery in Georgia. Not long ago, qvevris in Georgia were widely used, however today their use and production are limited –only a few artisans are still master qvevri-makers. Qvevri making, especially for large-capacity qvevris, requires great skill, experience and expense. To illustrate that qvevri-making is a very complex branch, it can be contrasted to that of the brick-maker, who could freely make tiles; and to a potter, who could freely make the traditional bread ovens called tonne. However the skills needed to make qvevris have always been considered a higher and distinct art in Georgian ceramics. In the past qvevris wer

via Making Wine in Qvevri: a Unique Georgian Tradition | Marani.

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Virginia Wine TV: Winemaker Series: Castle Hill Cider & Kvevri

While sipping a glass of Levity, their flagship sparkling Virginia cider made from 100% Albemarle Pippin; we learned how the operation started and about their use of ancient Kvevri terracotta vessels

via Virginia Wine TV: Winemaker Series: Castle Hill Cider & Kvevri.

7,000 Years of Wine Culture in Georgia Part 1 « Good Food Revolution

We tasted some amazing and completely unique wines, including “orange wine”: white wines that are left to macerate and ferment for a year in qvevri on there skins, giving them in Zoltan’s words, “the structure of a Barolo in a white wine!” And we tasted many qvevri reds, mostly Saperavi. Sapervi may be loosely translated as “dye”, and the wines are deep, deep red with major tannic structure.The uniquely Georgian verietal is one of the few redgrapes whose flesh is as crimson as its skin cork dorks will want to know that the technical term for this is “teinturer”. As a result, traditional Georgian viniculture uses no wood. There is no need: the grapes provide more than ample tannic structure. Modern wineries ferment and age in stainless steel. And the traditional vintners use the alkaline property of the pottery in the qvevri to ferment and age, which seems to instantly mellow the astringency.

via 7,000 Years of Wine Culture in Georgia Part 1 « Good Food Revolution.

Kvevri winemaking in Izrail- Kadma Winery’s Grand Opening

Kadma is located in Kfar Uriya, where the wine making tradition dates back to biblical times, as evidenced by the ancient stone hewn crushing floors and wine storage pools that can still be seen throughout the area. When they decided to establish their winery, winemaker Lina Slutzkin and her extremely supportive husband Vlad wanted to include ancient wine making elements in the process. From her childhood in Soviet Georgia Gruzia Lina remembered local wines being made in huge clay vessels, and she decided to look into it.

via 17 Nov 2011 – Kadma Winery’s Grand Opening « Yossi’s Wine Page.