Grape and wine culture in Georgia, the South Caucasus

David Maghradze (1) , Giorgi Samanishvili (1) , Levan Mekhuzla (1) , Irma Mdinaradze (1) , George Tevzadze (1) , Andro Aslanishvili (1) , Paata Chavchanidze (1) , David Lordkipanidze (2) , Mindia Jalabadze (2) , Eliso Kvavadze (2) , Nana Rusishvili (2) , Eldar Nadiradze (2) , Gvantsa Archvadze (2) , Patrick Mcgovern (3) , Patrice This (4) , Roberto Bacilieri (4) , Osvaldo Failla (5) , Gabriele Cola (5) , Luigi Mariani (5) , Nathan Wales (6) , M. Thomas P. Gilbert (6) , Laurent Bouby (7) , Tina Kazeli (8) , Levan Ujmajuridze (9) , Stephen Batiuk (10) , Andrew Graham (10) , Lika Megrelidze (11) , Tamar Bagratia (11) , Levan Davitashvili (12)

1 National Wine Agency of Georgia
2 The National Museum of Georgia
3 Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
4 UMR AGAP - Amélioration génétique et adaptation des plantes méditerranéennes et tropicales
5 UNIMI - Università degli Studi di Milano = University of Milan
6 UCPH - University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet
7 UMR ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier
8 Georgian Wine Association
9 Agricultural Scientific Research Center of Agriculture
10 Dept. of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
11 Environmental Agency of Georgia
12 Minister of Agriculture of Georgia

In 2014, the National Wine Agency of the Republic of Georgia initiated a three-year "Research Project for the study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture. Through collaborative research by Georgian and foreign institutions and researchers, the project aims to: stimulate research of Georgian viticulture and viniculture, through the lens of the country with the earliest tradition of grape domestication and winemaking; and to reconstruct the continuous development of viticulture and wine culture through time. The project advances the study of grape and wine culture by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, including: archaeology, history, ethnography, molecular genetics, biomolecular archaeology, palaeobotany, ampelography, enology, climatology and other scientific fields. These studies are diachronic in their approach, beginning with the oldest Neolithic civilizations, to present day, creating a holistic understanding of the continuity and complexity of Georgian Wine Culture to help popularize Georgian Wine throughout the global wine market.

Mots clés: wine; archeology; ethnology; genetical analysis; diversity

Mots clés: géorgie; vin; viniculture; viticulture; approche multidisciplinaire; archéologie; ethnographie; analyse génétique; diversité

Domaines: Biologie végétale

David Maghradze, Giorgi Samanishvili, Levan Mekhuzla, Irma Mdinaradze, George Tevzadze, et al.. Grape and wine culture in Georgia, the South Caucasus. BIO Web of Conferences, 2016, 7, 10 p. ⟨10.1051/bioconf/20160703027⟩. ⟨hal-01602899⟩