Georgia A Guide To The Cradle Of Wine

Recipient of the Geoffrey Roberts Award, this book delves head first into the 8,000 year-old wine traditions of the Republic of Georgia. A storied past, this mountainous country on the Black Sea is finally getting recognition for its unique and wonderful wines and grapes including Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Chinuri, Krakhuna, Kisi, and over 400 more. Made in both the “international method” of barrel and tank aging as well as the ancient method of terracotta pots called “kvevri“, Georgia offers up a wine for everyone and delicious local dishes to accompany them. This is your complete guide to the wines, food, and people of this beautiful land.

This new sixth edition of Bradt's Georgia, the only dedicated guide to the country, has been thoroughly updated throughout to include all the most recent developments, ranging from greatly expanded coverage of Batumi, Adjara and Svaneti to the addition of new maps for Tbilisi, Mestia and Telavi. Tourism is booming in Georgia: the number of guesthouses has mushroomed, Tbilisi airport has just opened a second terminal and a new terminal and rail link are under construction at Kutaisi airport. New low-cost flights are now available and visa-free travel is the norm for most. With Bradt's Georgia discover both the old and the new. The capital, Tbilisi, has seen huge changes in the past decade with some conspicuous new projects such as the Peace Bridge, the Opera House and the Presidential Palace, as well as excellent new restaurants and bars. Much of the country can be reached in day-trips from the luxury hotels of Tbilisi and Batumi, and the remotest areas such as Svaneti and the Pankisi Valley can also now be visited. In addition, Mestia, the capital of Svaneti, now has an airport and two ski resorts. Also new for this edition is expanded information on Tusheti and the Trans Caucasian Trail, a volunteer-led project to create two long-distance hiking routes, east-west and north-south, linking the Black Sea with the Caspian, the Greater Caucasus with the Lower Caucasus and Georgia with Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Georgian wine industry is covered, with particular emphasis on natural qvevri wines, and so too are skiing, rugby, the World Heritage sites of Mtskheta and Gelati, Georgian food, 5th-century churches, cave cities, and Georgian polyphonic singing. Bradt's unique guide to Georgia is the ideal companion for all travellers, from serious hikers to wine buffs, high-end culture lovers to backpackers of all ages.

This new title from Bradt tells the inspiring and emotional story of Ishbel Holmes, also known as 'World Bike Girl', a Scottish-Iranian woman who became a champion racing cyclist in spite of having been abandoned by her family, and who set off on the adventure of a lifetime despite her lack of experience, money or equipment. Ishbel Holmes was determined to cycle the world but her journey took a completely unexpected turn when, despite her initial instincts not to, she rescued a street dog in Turkey. Ishbel was lost and alone when she started on her epic trip, but in Lucy found a companionship never previously known. Between the two there formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a plea for help to transport Lucy to an animal shelter three hundred miles away. This heart-rending tale is about more than just the relationship between a woman and her dog. It is a testimony to the human spirit, overcoming present-day challenges and churning up long-buried and painful memories from Ishbel's earlier life. It is also a tale of adventure, one person's determination to cross an unfamiliar country by bike and the unforgettable scenes that greet her on the Turkey-Syria border and into Syria itself. And it is a loving portrait of Lucy, the street dog that was determined not to let Ishbel go and whose dogged persistence helped to break down the barriers around her heart and in so doing change her life in ways she had never imagined. Ultimately, this is a tale of love and healing, a modern fable that touches the soul and reminds us all of the need to belong.

Georgia is the new top-ranking destination for adventurous wine lovers. If you are looking for new grape varieties, bold tannic flavours, delicious food and breathtaking natural sceneries you won’t be disappointed. What you’ll discover in these 280 richly illustrated pages: - Georgia's history, culture and the pivotal role wine plays in it; - different wine growing regions and their wine maps; - best terroirs and PDOs; - most popular endogenous grape varieties; - unique 8000-year-old winemaking technology that uses skin-contact fermentation and buried ‘Qvevri’ clay-jars (instead of oak barrels); Whether you’re a wine professional or an enthusiastic amateur, the book will delight you with insights and anecdotes that you can easily share with your customers and friends: - Stories of the main historic Estates provide a glimpse of the complex geo-political trends that have shaped the Southern Caucasus; - Short profiles of the new generation wine makers explain their struggle to shake off Soviet heritage by going back to ancient customs; - The very Georgian tradition of Tamada and Supra that calls to mind the philosophical ‘symposiums’ of the ancient Greeks as seen by French philosopher, Michel Eltchaninoff. A Wheel of Taste to find your favourite Georgian wine Navigating Georgian grape varieties, with sometimes unpronounceable names, can be a challenge. To help you find the best match, Sarah Abbott MW has created a “wheel of taste” that will help you find the Georgian “equivalent” based on your tastes in popular European wines. Last but not least, you will discover all 525 endogenous grapes varieties and learn which one was Stalin’s favourite. The book will prove itself a useful guide to whomever is willing to explore unusual tastes of a country so close and yet so different to Europe.

In 2011 when Alice Feiring first arrived in Georgia, she felt as if she'd emerged from the magic wardrobe into a world filled with mythical characters making exotic and delicious wine with the low-tech methods of centuries past. She was smitten, and she wasn't alone. This country on the Black Sea has an unusual effect on people; the most passionate rip off their clothes and drink wines out of horns while the cold-hearted well up with tears and make emotional toasts. Visiting winemakers fall under Georgia's spell and bring home qvevris (clay fermentation vessels) while rethinking their own techniques. But, as in any good fairy tale, Feiring sensed that danger rode shotgun with the magic. With acclaim and growing international interest come threats in the guise of new wine consultants aimed at making wines more commercial. So Feiring fought back in the only way she knew how: by celebrating Georgia and the men and women who make the wines she loves most, those made naturally with organic viticulture, minimal intervention, and no additives. From Tbilisi to Batumi, Feiring meets winemakers, bishops, farmers, artists, and silk spinners. She feasts, toasts, and collects recipes. She encounters the thriving qvevri craftspeople of the countryside, wild grape hunters, and even Stalin's last winemaker while plumbing the depths of this tiny country's love for its wines. For the Love of Wine is Feiring's emotional tale of a remarkable country and people who have survived religious wars and Soviet occupation yet managed always to keep hold of their precious wine traditions. Embedded in the narrative is the hope that Georgia has the temerity to confront its latest threat--modernization.

Georgia Vineyards and Wineries is a historical guide to modern Georgia wines in 2016.Georgia is the largest muscadine grape¿producing state in the world. These native grapes were observed by early explores growing in the trees throughout Georgia and the South in the 1500s, but more likely had adapted to the harsh Southern environment much earlier. In 1733, James Oglethorpe, leading the first colonists to Georgia, provided European grapes to accompany other plants in the first American trustee garden in Savanah. In the first few chapters of Georgia Vineyards and Wineries, wine writer Wayne Crawford showcases this first effort to grow Old World grapes, and outlines why it failed. The history briefly highlights the wine-growing evolution in Georgia up to and after Prohibition. A brief geology, soil, climate, and weather overview sets the stage for readers to better appreciate why different varietal grapes grow across the state. This early historical overview transitions the reader into the sixty-five vineyards and wineries operating through 2016. Each winery is discussed based on five regional areas, providing the reader with additional background information on owners and winemakers. Maps are included to assist readers in touring the wineries and tasting rooms, grouped to optimize travel and enjoyment. The grapes grown and wine produced are referenced for each winery. All seventy-four grade varietals are further highlighted in detail for readers to better enjoy their tasting experience. Several appendices add additional historical information and practical information for the modern wine enthusiast to aid in their wine-drinking enjoyment