Kakheti Wine Country — Georgian Vineyard Harvest
163.00 £
The Alazani Valley vineyards of Georgia’s Kakheti wine region photographed during harvest — the heavy rkatsiteli grape clusters, the female harvesters in traditional coloured headscarves, the Caucasus mountains behind in autumn gold.
Description
Georgia’s Kakheti Province, in the Alazani River valley below the Greater Caucasus, is the cradle of wine culture — archaeologists have identified wine production evidence here extending 8,000 years, making it the world’s oldest viticultural tradition. The traditional Georgian wine production method — qvevri (clay amphora) fermentation buried underground — is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage practice. The autumn harvest in Kakheti — rkatsiteli and saperavi grape varieties — is a community event in which extended families and neighbours work together through the vineyard rows in a tradition of collective agricultural labour. This photograph was made in the Telavi district at peak harvest — mid- October — when the vine leaves have turned gold while the grapes are at maximum ripeness. The Caucasus foothills in the background carry the first dusting of early autumn snow on the highest ridges.
