It is not for nothing that a wine cellar in the Georgian capital has aroused the curiosity of the Spanish media The Country. In images broadcast by the daily, we see 40,000 wine bottles, covered in dust and cobwebs, revealed for the first time at the end of May.
Some belonged to historical figures, such as Tsar Alexander III, Napoleon Bonaparte or former USSR leader Joseph Stalin, and they will be put up for auction by the government. The funds will be used to finance a new enology school in the country.
An 8,000-year-old wine tradition
David Songulashvili, Georgian Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, welcomed the opening of the place, reports Georgia Today. “This unique space houses wines and spirits aged for over two centuries and once again highlights the importance of Georgia as the birthplace of wine†. According to archaeological evidence, the wine-growing tradition in the country dates back 8,000 years.
The collection is housed in a cellar considered a key site of Georgian wine heritage and a work of architecture. “According to officials, opening to the public and studying this collection could help restore international visibility to Georgian wine,†highlights the Georgian media.
Some of the wines come from the collection of the Romanov family, which reigned for nearly three hundred years over the Russian Empire, until the revolution of 1917. The Soviets then recovered the collection, notably supplied by the dictator’s favorite Georgian wines. Soviet Joseph Stalin, himself of Georgian origin.
