Synopses & Reviews
The Vessel is Alice Feiring's love affair with and exploration of the vibrant, colorful, passionate world of modern yet oh so ancient Georgian wines and qvevri fermentation. Not to be confused with the Georgia of the American South, the Georgia hugging the Black Sea is a gem and a magnet for wine people worldwide. And the qvevri, the centuries old vessel used to ferment and store the wine, is now the hottest wine accessory on the international vino scene. With a return to natural and biodynamic wines, Georgia now finds itself at the center of wine tourism, drawing winemakers and connoisseurs from around the globe to discover the legacy of a land that may well have been the birthplace of wine more than 6,000 years ago.
When the Turks invaded and ripped out the vines, the Georgians replanted. When the Turks returned, they replanted again. Georgians hid their wine and qvevri while the Soviets put in huge factories making plonk. They kept their private land organic when the community plots for the State were filled with chemicals. They clung to the qvevri tradition when others moved to barrels, and now are known not only for their natural and organic contributions to the wine world, but also for their orange wine, so popular that it has become a new category on wine lists everywhere.
This is Feiring's ode to a country, a history, a culture, and the religion that has preserved and continued to shape wine across the centuries. More than that, it's the stories of the people behind the country's wine efforts today, an exploration of the face and heart behind an ancient tradition that is reshaping the contemporary wine scene.
Synopsis
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.
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