God's Land

Not long after arriving in Georgia, one will hear an oft-repeated legend that when God was allocating lands to the people of the earth, the Georgians were so busy feasting, drinking wine and toasting at one of their legendary banquets (called a supra, but more about that later) that the Georgians missed God’s land-allocation meeting. When they finally showed up, the Georgians apologised to God, explaining that each person’s toast had been in praise and thanks to him – and that took a long time! They then invited God to join them at the supra (feast). God was so impressed and had such a good time that he decided to give the land he had saved for himself to these hospitable people. The Georgians received Georgia, or as they call it Sakarvelo, and God moved to heaven instead.

Location

Georgia is one of the world’s smaller countries (ranked 119th), yet its strategic location and historical significance belie its size. Georgia’s total area is 69,700 km2, which is just slightly larger than Ningxia province, somewhat comparable to Ireland or West Virginia (USA).

Georgia’s population is estimated at 3.7 million (2020) and is predominantly Christian (88.1%) with an Islamic minority (10.7%) plus others (1.2%).

The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi (1.2 million persons), which is about the same population as Lijiang (丽 江) or Hong Kong Island.

Wine Regions

It would be all but impossible to find a region in Georgia that does not produce wine. While wine is produced in every corner of Georgia, most production is in eastern Georgia’s Kakheti region. Kakheti is the primary wine-producing region of Georgia and accounts for more than 70% of the country’s wine.

In central Georgia, Kartli is home to a number of historic wine producing properties and the region’s wines are widely appreciated and exported. In addition to favourable climatic conditions, Kartli benefits from its proximity to Tbilisi, the country’s most populated city.

Much of western Georgia faces challenging growing conditions, such as increased humidity as one nears the Black Sea, and the wineries tend to be smaller, artisanal family estates. Key western regions include Imereti, Racha, Lechkhumi, Samegrelo and Guria

Recognition as

The Birthplace of Wine

Georgia is recognised internationally as the world’s oldest wine-producing region.

It has tangible, scientifically documented evidence of winemaking more than 8,000 years ago.