Qvevri Granted the Status of a Protected Geographical Indication

Posted on 25 October 2021
By Notam Autem

Qvevri - a clay wine vessel - was granted the status of a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (“Sakpatenti”). Qvevri became the first non-food product to be granted such status.

In 2013 the Georgian traditional method of Qvevri winemaking was granted the status of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The registration process within Georgia was initiated last year by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and since then has passed all the stages successfully. The registration contains all characteristics of Qvevri as a clay vessel for winemaking: the size, shape, capacity, raw materials and production technology.

“The protection of Qvevri as a geographical indication is especially important for Georgia, a country with an 8,000-year continuos history of winemaking. Making wine by the Georgian traditional method is connected with the national clay wine vessel - Qvevri. The making of Qvevri represents a product of the Georgian people’s intellect,” reads a statement of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

According to the National Wine Agency of Georgia, today almost all Georgian wine companies produce Qvevri wine. Additionally, individual winemakers produce Qvevri wine all over the world: in the US, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, Slovenia and other countries.

Source:

Georgianjournal.ge