Qvevri: clay vessel and inherited practice

Qvevri is an egg-shaped clay vessel for fermenting and storing wine. UNESCO describes qvevri knowledge as passed through families and communities, alongside shared harvest work.

Clay, shaping, drying and firing

The National Wine Agency describes suitable clay shaped, dried and fired in a special oven. The Agency estimates about three months to make a qvevri, much of the period spent on construction and drying. Capacities range from hundreds of litres to several tonnes.

Regional cellar practice differs

Kakhetian qvevris are buried in cellar floors. The Agency describes western Georgian qvevris as hermetically sealed and stored in the open air. Wine methods also differ in the share of grape skins, stalks and pips kept with the juice.

• Ask where the vessel was made and how the cellar prepares it.
• Ask whether wine ferments or rests in qvevri.
• Compare regional methods before assuming every amber wine follows one process.

Follow harvest work