Wine and Cultural Exchange

 There had been a wine bar at the bottom of the hill right in front of the main square that I had meaning to visit. I was not planning to have wine, but who can resist Chateau Makrani-wine bar of a private mansion estate of wine in Kakheti region 

The atmosphere is just so appetizing and delightful. Atmosphere is my middle name….a good atmosphere is everything. The ceiling, the sculptures, the wine displays and it was totally empty so I had the place all to myself.

I sat at the bar talking with the staff(a male and female in their early 20s) learning about the different varietals of wine/regions, but most importantly learning about them as local Georgians. They were both clearly very passionate about wine, but the female had already finished her education and the male was still studying.  The qualifications to become a “Sommolier” are very strict in Georgia and are different that EU countries.

She(Alexa?) said that in the world there are over 10,000 wine varietals. Georgia has over 500 varietals and Query is a special type of wine only to Georgia.
She was talking about the “technology of wine”, which was very interesting. I thought it would be fun for them both to choose their favorite bottle and for me to try a taste of each one. 

I gave them my normal flavor profile/wine tastes and they selected what I would like…of course I ended up loving both, but Alexa’s became a glass of wine.

They both had great knowledge behind each bottle they chose. She was very intelligent and quick witted with a passion for wine. He was explaining the Sommolier test and how it is a very difficult exam and he got a 52/53 and missed just one point, but he still has to retake it.

Just continued conversation educating me on language and how they learn Georgia and English in school.  They explain the difference in the pronunciation of specific letters. He said in Georgian “you read exactly what you write.” In some languages, like French, you do not pronounce a few letters, but Georgians pronounce each letter, which makes sense why it is difficult to learn. 

Russia was a topic of conversation for Georgians because it obviously comes with the territory having a border with Russia and being post-soviet times. It was interesting to observe Alexa's behavior when I mentioned that many locals speak Georgian and Russian.  She put her head down and said i dont like to do it unless I have to and she had a sad look in her eyes.  Many locals visiting the restaurant speaking Russian and she must explain to them in Russian if they do not know Georgian. It is also common in many other scenarios, but she made this face like she was committing a crime speaking Russian. 

With an extensive history and a war with Ukraine, many Georgians have mixed opinions with Russians. Government pro Russia yet "Eff Russia and eff Putin all over the streets. “a country definitely supporting Ukraine, but a government supporting Russia and Ukraine...? It is quite a contradiction to speak Russian yet have a strong negative opinion towards their country and what they represent.

This topic was interesting to think about and further discuss with other locals. 

After our nice talk, it was time for me to go and they said, "Please come back and visit us again." 

I would hope to visit them again, but with the million wine bars I definitely had more to visit-it was actually quite endless visiting wine bars in Georgia. It may require 50 trips lol. Until next time friends and wine lovers!