What Is Qvevri Wine? Georgia's Ancient Winemaking Method Explained

The first time someone described qvevri wine to me, I thought they were exaggerating.

A large clay vessel. Handmade. Buried in the earth. Sealed for six months. No chemicals. No temperature control. No intervention of any kind. And from this — wine.

Not just any wine. Wine that has been made this way for 8,000 years. Wine that UNESCO felt strongly enough about to add to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Wine that tastes like nothing made by any other method anywhere in the world.

I was not exaggerating. This is how Georgians make wine. This is how they have always made it. And now it is arriving in California.

What Is Qvevri Wine?

Qvevri wine is wine fermented and aged in a qvevri — a large egg-shaped clay vessel handmade in Georgia and buried underground with only its neck visible above ground. The grape juice, skins, seeds, and stems go in together. The vessel is sealed. The wine ferments naturally underground for four to six months, using only wild yeasts, at a temperature kept constant by the surrounding earth.

No added sulfites. No commercial yeasts. No stainless steel. No oak barrels. No technology invented after approximately 6,000 BC.

Qvevri wine is not a style of wine. It is a method — the oldest continuous winemaking method on earth, practiced in Georgia for more than 8,000 years and recognized by UNESCO in 2013 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What Is a Qvevri?

The qvevri is the vessel everything starts and ends with. Understanding the vessel is understanding the wine.

It is made from specific clay found primarily in the Imereti and Kakheti regions of Georgia. A master potter shapes it entirely by hand — there is no mold, no factory, no shortcut. The process takes two to three weeks depending on the size of the vessel. Then it is fired at approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius.

After firing, the inside of the vessel is coated with beeswax — a traditional sealant that has been used for millennia. This coating is one of the reasons qvevri wine has a distinctive texture and mouthfeel that cannot be replicated by any other vessel.

Sizes range from 50 litres to 10,000 litres. Every qvevri is unique. The oldest qvevri ever found in Georgia dates to 6,000 BC — making it more than 8,000 years old.

The word qvevri comes from the Old Georgian word meaning to bury. The vessel takes its name from what you do with it. You put it in the ground and you leave it alone.

How Is Qvevri Wine Made?

The process is both extremely simple and deeply complex. Simple because there are very few steps. Complex because every step has been refined over 8,000 years.

Harvest. Grapes are picked by hand in September and October. In traditional Georgian winemaking, the entire cluster goes in — grapes, stems, seeds, and skins together.

Pressing. The grapes are pressed, but not completely. The juice and the solids — called chacha in Georgian — go into the qvevri together. This is the critical difference between qvevri wine and conventional wine. Western winemaking separates the juice from the solids almost immediately. Georgian winemaking keeps them together for months.

Burial. The qvevri is already buried in the ground of the marani — the Georgian wine cellar — with only its neck visible. The pressed grape material goes in and the vessel is sealed with a stone or wooden lid, then coated with beeswax to make it airtight.

Fermentation. Wild yeasts naturally present on the grape skins begin fermentation. The underground temperature stays between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius year-round — no refrigeration, no heating, just the constant temperature of the earth. Fermentation takes four to six weeks.

Maceration. After fermentation, the wine continues to age in the qvevri with the skins, seeds, and stems for another three to six months. This extended skin contact is what turns white wine amber. The tannins from the skins give amber wine its characteristic grip and structure.

Racking. In spring, the qvevri is opened. The wine is siphoned off. The chacha is removed. The wine goes back into a clean qvevri for further aging, or directly into bottles.

And the opening is not just a winemaking step. It is a celebration. A Georgian Orthodox priest is present. Songs are sung. A full supra is laid out. Because the wine was born — and a birth deserves to be marked the same way any arrival into the world is marked. With gratitude, with music, with a full table, and with people who matter.

Georgians do not say wine is made in a qvevri. They say it is born there. The qvevri is the womb. The wine grows inside it in darkness and silence, like a living thing, until it is ready. And when it finally comes out — Georgia throws a party.

What Does Qvevri Wine Taste Like?

It depends entirely on which qvevri wine you are drinking — white, red, or amber. But all qvevri wines share certain characteristics that come directly from the method.

Texture.

Qvevri wine has more texture than conventional wine. The beeswax coating of the vessel and the extended skin contact give it a richness and weight that you feel more than taste. It coats the mouth gently.

Complexity.

Because nothing is added and nothing is removed, qvevri wine expresses the grape and the terroir with unusual directness. You taste the land it came from.

Tannins.

Even white qvevri wines have tannins — the same grippy sensation you feel in red wine — because the skins, seeds, and stems stayed in contact with the juice for months. This is what makes amber wine feel so different from conventional white wine.

Minerality.

The clay of the qvevri and the underground environment give the wine a mineral quality — earthy, slightly chalky, the taste of somewhere specific.

Amber qvevri wine is the most distinctive. It smells of dried apricot, quince, honey, and stone fruit. But it tastes dry and tannic. The contrast between what your nose expects and what your palate finds is the defining experience of amber wine.

Red qvevri wine — particularly Saperavi Qvevri — is darker, denser, and more structured than the same grape made by conventional methods. The extended skin contact during fermentation extracts more color, more tannin, more depth.

Qvevri Wine vs Conventional Wine — What Is the Difference?

The differences go deeper than method. They go to the philosophy of what wine is supposed to be.

Intervention.

Conventional winemaking uses dozens of tools to control and adjust the wine — commercial yeasts, tartaric acid, sulfites, fining agents, filtration. Qvevri winemaking uses none of these. The wine is left to find its own way.

Vessel.

Stainless steel tanks are neutral — they add nothing to the wine. Oak barrels add flavor. The qvevri does something different — it breathes. Clay is micro-porous. A tiny amount of oxygen passes through the vessel walls during aging, softening the wine naturally without adding any flavor.

Skin contact.

Most white wine is pressed immediately and the juice ferments alone. Qvevri white wine ferments with its skins for months. This is why qvevri white wine looks amber and tastes tannic.

Time.

Conventional wine moves fast — from harvest to bottle in months. Qvevri wine moves at the pace of the earth. Six months underground. Then more time in bottle. The wine is patient because it has been made by patient people.

Terroir.

Because nothing is added to mask or adjust the wine, qvevri wine expresses its origin with unusual clarity. Two bottles from two different villages, made from the same grape, will taste distinctly different.

Why Did UNESCO Recognize Qvevri Winemaking?

In 2013, UNESCO added the traditional Georgian qvevri wine method to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This recognition was not simply about a winemaking technique. It was about the living culture surrounding it — the knowledge passed from generation to generation, the role of wine in Georgian identity, the craftsmanship of the qvevri potters, the seasonal rhythms of harvest and burial and opening.

UNESCO noted that the tradition connects Georgians to their ancestors, to their land, and to each other. The marani — the wine cellar — is a sacred space in Georgian life. The opening of a qvevri in spring is an occasion.

UNESCO recognition confirmed what Georgians already knew: the qvevri method is not just old. It is living. It is practiced today exactly as it was practiced 8,000 years ago, by people who learned it from their parents, who learned it from theirs.

The Winery Behind Our Qvevri Wines: Koncho and Co, Founded 1737

Every qvevri wine we carry comes from Koncho and Co — a winery in the Kakheti region of Georgia that has been making wine since 1737. Nearly 300 years of continuous operation. This winery was producing wine before the United States existed as a country.

Koncho and Co works with both the traditional qvevri method and the European method — giving us wines that show the full range of what Georgian grapes can do. Our amber wines, Rkatsiteli Qvevri and Kisi Qvevri, are made in the traditional qvevri method with extended skin contact underground.

We also carry Mtsvivani Kakhuri — an ancient grape variety that almost disappeared entirely and was revived by Koncho and Co. Available in both white and amber expressions. Found nowhere else in California.

We work with Koncho and Co directly, with no middlemen. The wine moves from their marani in Georgia to your door in California.

How to Try Qvevri Wine for the First Time

If you have never tried qvevri wine, start with amber wine. It is the most distinctive expression of the method and the one that most clearly shows what qvevri winemaking does.

Pour it. Smell it first. You will notice dried fruit, honey, stone fruit — it smells sweet and inviting. Then taste it. You will find something dry, tannic, complex — nothing like what the aroma suggested. That contrast is the experience.

Serve it slightly chilled — around 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. Not as cold as white wine. Not as warm as red. It lives in between.

Pair it with something that can stand up to its texture — aged cheese, charcuterie, spiced food, roasted vegetables. Or forget pairing rules entirely and drink it with whatever you are having. That is what Georgians do.

If you want to start with something more familiar, try our Rkatsiteli in the European style — white, dry, crisp — before moving to Rkatsiteli Qvevri. The same grape, two completely different wines. The comparison is one of the best introductions to what the qvevri method actually does.

Frequently Asked Questions About Qvevri Wine

What is qvevri wine?

Qvevri wine is wine made in the traditional Georgian method using a large handmade clay vessel — the qvevri — buried underground. Grapes ferment inside the sealed vessel for up to six months with no additives, using only wild yeasts and the constant temperature of the earth. UNESCO recognized this method in 2013 as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

How old is the qvevri winemaking tradition?

The oldest qvevri ever found in Georgia dates to 6,000 BC — making the tradition more than 8,000 years old. This is the oldest continuous winemaking method on earth. The same vessel, the same method, still used today exactly as it was 8,000 years ago.

What does qvevri wine taste like?

Qvevri wine has more texture and complexity than conventionally made wine. White qvevri wine — amber wine — smells of dried apricot and stone fruit but tastes dry and tannic. Red qvevri wine is darker and denser than conventional red wine. All qvevri wines have an earthy minerality that comes from the clay vessel and underground aging.

Is qvevri wine the same as orange wine?

Yes and no. All traditional Georgian amber wine is made in qvevri with extended skin contact — which is what orange wine means. But orange wine is made in many countries now using various vessels. Qvevri wine specifically refers to wine made in the Georgian clay vessel. Georgia invented the orange wine method 8,000 years ago.

Is qvevri wine natural wine?

Traditional qvevri wine is among the most natural wine in the world — no added yeasts, no sulfites, no chemical intervention of any kind. The clay vessel breathes naturally. The earth regulates temperature naturally. It is as close to hands-off winemaking as wine gets.

Why does qvevri wine look amber?

The amber color comes from extended skin contact during fermentation. When white grape juice ferments in contact with the grape skins for months, tannins and pigments from the skins color the juice golden amber. This is the same reason red wine is red — skin contact. The difference is that amber wine uses white grapes.

What food goes with qvevri wine?

Amber qvevri wine pairs well with aged cheese, charcuterie, spiced dishes, and roasted vegetables. Its tannins make it more versatile than conventional white wine. Red qvevri wine pairs with grilled meat and hearty dishes. In Georgia, nobody worries about pairing — you drink what you love with whatever is on the table.

Where can I buy qvevri wine in California?

Qvevri Wine Georgia carries authentic Georgian qvevri wines including Rkatsiteli Qvevri, Kisi Qvevri, and the rare Mtsvivani Kakhuri. We deliver throughout California with free delivery in the Bay Area. Visit qvevriwinegeorgia.store.

How is qvevri wine different from wine made in oak barrels?

Oak barrels add flavor to wine — vanilla, toast, spice. The qvevri adds nothing. Clay is micro-porous and allows a tiny amount of oxygen exchange — which softens the wine naturally — but imparts no flavor of its own. Qvevri wine tastes of the grape and the place, not the vessel.

Who makes the qvevri vessels?

Qvevri are made by master potters in specific regions of Georgia, primarily Imereti and Kakheti. Each vessel is shaped entirely by hand over two to three weeks. There is no factory, no mold. Every qvevri is unique. The craft of qvevri making is itself part of Georgian Intangible Cultural Heritage.