Column Karin Leeuwenhoek: Vinorgia

Column Karin Leeuwenhoek: Vinorgia

Karin Leeuwenhoek is a theologian, vinologist and communications scholar. She has ninety Italian olive trees, but mostly loves wine - and philosophising about it. See also her wine blog vinoblogie.co.uk. She writes a column in every issue of WINELIFE Magazine. - TEXT KARIN LEEUWENHOEK | IMAGE PEXELS.COM

Vinorgia

My fascination with Georgia, the land of the orange wine and, more importantly, the origins of winemaking are growing. Yet I have never been there. Because 1) it is quite far and is not known as a tourist destination. 2) I have the unfounded idea that it is not sunny and warm there. 3) I think there is - besides pristine nature - a lot of man-made Eastern Bloc ugliness. And 4) the (heavy?) food doesn't attract me. Prejudices, which I hope will soon be broken.

Main reason to visit: the origins of viticulture and wine culture lie here, in the South Caucasus. On the border area of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It has now been established that wine was already being made in Georgia 8,000 years ago. That is still 2,000 years earlier than the hitherto oldest, albeit larger-scale wine production. Traces of which were found in neighbouring Armenia. Not far from Mount Ararat, known for the Flood and Noah's Ark. Another good reason to visit Georgia: I can't think of a place where wine drinking is even more linked to religion and culture. This was true for many millennia before Christianity, but the Church of Christ stepped it up a notch and pretty much elevated drinking to a holy act.

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