Georgia is the oldest wine producing region in the
world. The fertile valleys and protective slopes of the South Caucasus
were home to grapevine cultivation and neolithic wine production
(Georgian: ღვინო, ɣvino) for at least 8000 years. Due to millennia of
winemaking and the prominent economic role it retains in Georgia to the
present day, wine and viticulture are entwined with Georgia's national
identity.
In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method
using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Lists.[5] The best-known Georgian wine regions are in the country's
east, such as Kakheti (further divided into the micro-regions of Telavi
and Kvareli) and Kartli, but also in Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo
Svaneti, and coastal areas like Adjara and Abkhazia.