Winemaking
Qvevri and amphora
Fermenting and ageing in buried clay vessels — the Georgian tradition behind orange wine.
Overview
The qvevri is a large egg-shaped earthenware vessel, lined with beeswax and buried so the surrounding earth holds a stable temperature.
Grapes ferment in it with their skins, and in the traditional Kakhetian method with stems too, for up to six months. That extended contact is what produces amber wine with real tannin.
Clay is slightly porous, allowing gentle oxygen exchange without contributing oak flavour — a genuinely different result from either steel or barrel.
The method is on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method — UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — UNESCO
- National Wine Agency of Georgia — National Wine Agency, Georgia
More in winemaking
Winemaking
Fermentation
Yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide — the step that makes wine wine.
Winemaking
How red wine is made
Fermenting grape juice in contact with the skins, which is where colour and tannin come from.
Winemaking
How white wine is made
Pressing the juice off the skins before fermentation, then fermenting the clear juice.