Dear Honored guests,
I would like to especially greet the Mayor of Bordeaux Mr. Alain Juppe and the President of the Foundation for the Culture and Civilizations of Wine Mrs. Sylvie Cazes.
I am very proud to be here and take part in this remarkable event. Today, in this Citadel of Winemaking, Bordeaux, we are celebrating the Cradle of Winemaking, Georgia.
Eight thousand years is enough time to turn a leisurely activity into a critical element of national identity. And that's exactly what happened with Georgia.
Wine is the major marker of Georgia's national identity, just as ‘exquisite taste in everything' is a big part of France's national identity.
Wine is also an essential element of French identity, and the French have an extraordinary wine culture.
But when it comes to Georgians - we have a wine cult of sorts and culture too, of-course.
There is a folk Georgian saying: "Vine, nurtured like a child!" - these words speak to the affection and commitment that Georgians have toward viticulture.
Leading specialists from seven different countries recently confirmed after three years of research that Georgia is the homeland of wine.
The earliest traces of wine have been identified on a ceramic vessel unearthed in Georgia and dated by leading laboratory experts to a period 8,000 years ago. In addition, pips of vitis viniferas, the oldest known vine varietal, have been discovered in Georgia, and they also date to the same period. I would like to thank the group of Georgian and foreign scientists for their priceless work for our country.
Dear Friends,
Our tiny nation, on a tiny land, managed to domesticate and cultivate more than 500 indigenous varieties of vine. In no other field have we been as inventive and successful.
We are proud of our ancestors, who invented this winemaking know-how -- called Qvevri - millennia ago. Nearly every Georgian family used to have this clay vessel at home, and i still do too.
Traditionally, the Qvevri is buried in the ground up to its brim. The wine fermenting in it then accumulates the earthly powers, which make this drink so unique.
In 2013, UNESCO added Qvevri to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.
This tradition plays a vital role in everyday life and celebrations. It forms an inseparable part of the cultural identity of Georgian communities, and wine and vines frequently star in Georgian oral traditions and songs. Knowledge of this heritage is passed down by families, neighbours and friends, all of whom join in the communal harvesting and wine-making activities.
Qvevri symbolizes the essence of Georgian history and culture - its past deep in earth, and its future still fermenting, like the new wine to come.
Today, as Georgia is returning to Europe, to the culture it belonged to but was estranged from for some time, we are also joining the winemaking culture in Europe.
We are particularly grateful to the French people, the city of Bordeaux, and especially to the administration of La Cite du Vin for enabling Georgia be the first country - the Invited Vineyard - to present and share its rich and excellent wines to the world.
Thank you.