Apparently wine making in Georgia dates back 8000 years. With Kakheti, the centre of the Georgian wine industry being about a 3 hour drive from Tbilisi, it seemed an opportunity not to be missed. So we piled aboard the Tbilisi-Talevi express bus service (a slight exaggeration) to see what the hype is about. As a town Talevi is just that. But as you drive in there is no doubt that vineyards and fruit production are the heart and soul of the region. Typical of many wine growing regions this one is surrounded by mountains. Our hotel has only been open for about 6 months and is certainly one of the best we have stayed in. Great rooms, swimming pool, fantastic food and extremely helpful staff. I think we hit the jackpot. We booked a private winery tour for the next day. Gopar, our driver, arrived on time, and with a list of 8 wineries we were on our way. Georgian wine production basically follows 2 methods. Georgian style and European style. European style is what we are familiar with in Australia. Stainless steel vats, wooden casks, addition of yeast, sulphur etc. Georgian style is very different. The grapes are crushed and the skin, seeds and fluid are then placed into earthernware pots called kvevri which are buried in the ground. These range in size from a few hundred litres to thousands of litres. After 4-5 weeks the skins and seeds have sunk to the bottom and the wine has risen to the top. It is then removed and generally placed into wooden kegs for further maturation. White wines take on a strong amber colour, almost like beer, whilst the reds can be further processed into dry or semi sweet varieties. The skins are then turned into chacha, which I think is a Georgian word for high octane rocket fuel. 5 wineries, 15 or so wines and an exceptionally good lunch later we had to admit defeat and head home. But we came away with a new found appreciation of different wine styles and production techniques. The wineries are justifiably proud of what they do, and very pleased to be able to show their product to people from Australia and New Zealand, who they know appreciate and understand wine.