Scientific Project Advances Study of Georgia’s Wild Vine Heritage

Field expeditions studying wild grapevines are actively continuing across Georgia within the framework of a scientific project on Georgian vine and wine culture.

Research has been carried out in the viticulture zones of Meskheti, Racha, Lechkhumi, Imereti, Kartli, and Kakheti.

Wild grapevine—also known as forest vine—is considered the ancestor of cultivated grape varieties and holds particular importance in studying the history and genetic diversity of Georgian viticulture.

“Georgian grape varieties, of which we are justifiably proud, originate from wild vines. It is crucial to study the ecology of this plant, its distribution areas, and environmental conditions. Wild grapevines are not resistant to diseases, and their numbers are decreasing every year. Therefore, their documentation and conservation are extremely important. The collected material will be propagated and preserved in collections for protection purposes,” said Davit Maghradze, project leader and Chief Specialist at the Viticulture Cadastre Division of the National Wine Agency of Georgia.

The results achieved within the project have already been reflected in the international scientific community. A study by Gabriella De Lorenzis from the University of Milan was published in the scientific journal Oeno One. The research confirmed that the genetic structure of Georgian wild grapevines differs from that of vines in the Mediterranean basin, based on comparative analysis of samples collected in Georgia.

The National Wine Agency launched this scientific project in 2014. Its goal is to strengthen, through scientific evidence, Georgia’s status as the oldest cradle of wine culture, reconstruct the continuous history of viticulture and winemaking, and promote Georgian wine globally. The project also supports new archaeological research, systematizes and dates vine remains from different historical periods found in Georgia, and conducts their analysis and biochemical testing.

In 2017, based on the results of this project, the international scientific community recognized that the earliest evidence of winemaking was discovered in Georgia, confirming the country as the birthplace of wine. This conclusion received wide international coverage in leading media and scientific publications. The discovery has also been recorded in the Guinness World Records.