Qvevri Fermentation

A qvevri (also commonly transliterated as kvevri) is a large egg-shaped earthenware vessel used for the fermentation, maturation and storage of wine, according to a WSET article by Georgian winemaker and educator Shalva Khetsuriani; in Imereti the vessel is called churi, Georgia's National Wine Agency notes. Decanter explains that the prefix 'kve' means 'beneath' or 'under', implying the usual way these vessels are used in Georgian cellars. An amphora was primarily designed for transporting and storing goods and usually had handles, WSET notes, whereas a qvevri was never intended to be moved once installed and forms a permanent part of the cellar. The National Wine Agency dates the shape of today's Georgian qvevri to the 3rd millennium BC and says the egg-shaped qvevri is currently the most common. Qvevri clay contains limestone and a small amount of gold, silver and copper, according to the agency, and the lime acts as a natural antiseptic. It takes an average of 3 months to make a qvevri. Decanter describes the build: rolls of clay are added layer upon layer by hand, each layer needs a few days to dry, and the building alone can take up to two months; the vessel then needs a further 40 days to dry before firing, which takes seven days with the kiln above 1,200°C. While the qvevri is still warm, beeswax is applied to the inner surface as an antiseptic and to smooth out invisible cracks, preventing leaks.

• Georgia's National Wine Agency: capacity runs from a few hundred litres to several tons, qvevri of 6,000 to 8,000 litres can be seen in Kakheti, and the most common capacity is 1 to 2 tons.
• WSET (2023) says modern qvevri sizes typically range from 50 to 3,500 litres.
• Iron wire plus a cement and lime layer can be fixed to the exterior as a 'safety jacket', giving some protection during transport and against earthquakes (Decanter).
• Fired clay permits limited oxygen exchange but, unlike oak, contributes virtually no wood-derived aromas or flavours (WSET).

Before filling, the qvevri is cleaned: the usual practice is for a worker to climb inside with a ladder and scrub it, using a special brush so the clay is not damaged, Vladimer Kublashvili of Khareba Winery tells Decanter. Crushed grapes, often including the stems, are then poured into the vessel with their juice; the grape skins, ripe stems and pips are called chacha. Natural yeast triggers fermentation after two to three days, Decanter reports. Before the wine is fermented it needs frequent stirring, 4 to 5 times a day, according to Georgia's National Wine Agency; at Mildiani Family Winery, workers stir four times a day, for five minutes each time, to ensure there is enough oxygen for the yeast and to encourage phenolic extraction (Decanter). Alcoholic fermentation can take two to four weeks, with malolactic fermentation kicking in almost immediately afterwards. At the end of fermentation the pips, chacha and husks sink and accumulate at the bottom of the qvevri, separating from the wine, the National Wine Agency explains. The qvevri is then topped up and sealed, and traditionally it is not opened until the next spring. White wine is kept with its chacha until spring, while red wine can on average be kept in the qvevri only during alcoholic fermentation, 7 to 10 days and a maximum of 2 weeks, according to the National Wine Agency. In spring some producers bottle their wines, while others pump the clear wine into clean qvevri for further ageing (Decanter).

• Spontaneous start: Decanter reports natural yeast triggering fermentation two to three days after filling.
• Stirring: 4 to 5 times a day before the wine is fermented, according to the National Wine Agency.
• Self-clarifying shape: as fermentation slows, seeds, skins, yeast lees and other solids settle into the narrowing base, leaving progressively clearer wine above (WSET).
• WSET notes that several researchers suggest the curved walls encourage gentle convection currents during fermentation, though this remains an active area of research.

Winemaking technology varies in different parts of Georgia, the National Wine Agency notes. In Kakheti, which produces around three-quarters of the country's wine according to Decanter (2026), the total amount of chacha takes part in alcoholic fermentation, according to the National Wine Agency. For Kakhetian white wines, WSET adds, fermentation traditionally takes place with the skins, seeds and, in many cases, the stems, and after fermentation the wine usually stays on these solids for several additional months before being moved to another clean qvevri or vessel. The Imereti way adds not the total amount of chacha but a maximum of one-third, according to the National Wine Agency; WSET says Imeretian whites are fermented with a much smaller proportion of skins and seeds than in Kakheti, stems are usually omitted, and the wines tend to show lighter body, brighter acidity and more restrained tannins. Kartli, around Tbilisi, sits between Kakheti and Imereti and produces slightly lighter, more delicate wines with less grip but greater freshness, according to Decanter. In Kakheti qvevri are buried in the cellar, while in western Georgia the wine is stored in hermetically sealed qvevri in the open air, according to the National Wine Agency.

• Kakheti: the total amount of chacha in fermentation (National Wine Agency), with stems included in many cases for whites (WSET).
• Imereti: at most one-third of the chacha (National Wine Agency); the local vessels, churi, often hold 100 to 500 litres, against 500 to 2,000 litres for many Kakhetian qvevri (WSET).
• In Imereti the wine stays in the churi for about 2 months after fermentation before the pulp is removed, according to the National Wine Agency.
• Kartli: between the two, with slightly lighter, more delicate wines with less grip but greater freshness (Decanter).

A wine kept with its chacha for a long time acquires a dark straw, golden or tea colour, shows fruit tones and a moderate content of tannins, and is naturally stable, according to Georgia's National Wine Agency. The AWRI describes amber wines in general as typically orange in colour, dry, and with noticeable tannin astringency, but mostly less astringent than red wines, because white grapes contain lower concentrations of anthocyanins and extracted tannin is less likely to be retained. The AWRI lists the most commonly reported risks of extended skin contact in white wine as bitterness, overly astringent tannins, overt oxidation and spoilage by undesirable yeast or bacteria. Decanter describes top Kakhetian amber wines as typically showing a yellow fruit-driven nose of quince, candied orange peel and dried apricot, with a chewy, tea-like tannin structure; qvevri reds, the majority made from Saperavi, typically show pure, dark fruit aromas refined by dried flowers and spices. Temperature accounts differ: the National Wine Agency says the temperature in a buried qvevri does not change and holds the 13 to 15 degrees required for fermentation, while winemaker Giorgi Dakishvili told Decanter that 2,000-litre qvevri reach roughly 28 to 30°C during fermentation and 200-litre qvevri 22 to 24°C.

• Qvevri is a vessel, not a wine style: white, amber, rosé and red wines may all be made in it, and qvevri wines may be conventional, organic, biodynamic or natural (WSET).
• The AWRI notes that pH can rise by up to 0.2 units when white grapes are fermented on skins.
• Dakishvili told Decanter that higher fermentation temperatures help extract structure, tannin and phenolics, and lower ones favour fresh fruit.
• Decanter notes that finishing in used oak barrels and extended ageing generally help polish the rough edges of these wines.

According to WSET (2023), the current Georgian wine industry was reborn after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and less than 10% of Georgia's wine production is made in qvevri. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed the Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Discussions on white wines with maceration began within the OIV at Georgia's initiative in 2017, and in 2020 the OIV General Assembly adopted Resolution OIV-ECO 647-2020, adding 'white wine with maceration' to its International Code of Oenological Practices as a special wine, with the Georgian qvevri method named in the resolution. A 2017 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences presented the earliest currently known biomolecular evidence of grape wine, dating to around 6000 BC in present-day Georgia, WSET reports. Outside Georgia, Joško Gravner of Oslavia in Friuli visited Georgia in 2000, and by 2001 an initial batch of 11 qvevri had made the overland trip to northern Italy, Decanter reports; WSET notes that he made his first wine in buried qvevri in 2001, and by 2005 his entire production had moved to amphora (Decanter). The OIV notes that other countries, such as France, Italy and Slovakia, also offer orange wines, and the National Wine Agency reports that exports of Georgian qvevri wines are increasing, including to Italy and France.

• 2013: UNESCO inscription of the Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method.
• 2017: the Guinness Book of Records recognised traces of wine from Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora as the oldest wine in the world (6000-5800 BC), according to the OIV.
• 2020: OIV Resolution OIV-ECO 647-2020 defines white wine with maceration, made exclusively from white grape varieties with a maceration phase of at least 1 month.
• Joško Gravner: visited Georgia in 2000, first amphora imported in 2001, all production moved to amphora by 2005 (Decanter).

The marani is the family wine cellar. WSET describes how, when a new family house was built, the qvevri were often installed first and the building constructed around them, the underground room holding the buried vessels becoming the marani; many monasteries also maintained their own marani. Hygiene is central: leakage is a real risk if the clay was not properly mixed or the building and baking were not up to standard, Misha Dolidze of Marani Casreli tells Decanter, so testing the condition of the qvevri before it is filled is crucial. Beyond the traditional ladder-and-brush scrub, the team at Marani Casreli uses high-pressure water guns and acids, followed by a test of the hygiene conditions. To seal a qvevri, producers usually apply a clay or silicon layer around the mouth and press down a glass disk or stone lid (Decanter). Some modern winemakers check the wine through specially designed lids but must avoid excessive exposure to oxygen, and heavy oxygen intake, from leakage or frequently opening the seal, can be harmful at the final stage of production. Maintained with care and at appropriate temperatures, and barring major earthquakes, one qvevri can last 'decades', Kublashvili tells Decanter.

• The marani (family wine cellar) was often built around qvevri installed first (WSET).
• Cleaning usually means a worker climbing inside with a ladder and scrubbing with a special brush (Decanter).
• Sealing: a clay or silicon layer around the mouth, then a glass disk or stone lid pressed down (Decanter).
• Heavy oxygen intake from leakage or frequent opening can be harmful at the final stage of production (Decanter).

Primary sources (Georgia's National Wine Agency, the OIV, WSET, and the AWRI): https://wine.gov.ge/En/KvevriWine, https://wine.gov.ge/En/WineMakingRegions, https://www.oiv.int/white-wine-with-maceration-interview-with-the-georgian-minister-for-agriculture, https://www.oiv.int/standards/white-wine-with-maceration, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/qvevri-the-ancient-vessel-at-the-heart-of-georgian-winemaking, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2023/july/05/exploring-georgian-wine-history-grape-varieties-styles-and-amber-wine, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/what-is-orange-wine-understanding-skin-contact-white-wines, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-amber-wine/. Secondary: https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews-tastings/qvevri-wines-from-georgia-a-winemaking-story-and-12-wines-to-try-498954/, https://www.decanter.com/wine/from-qvevri-to-glass-the-fascinating-journey-of-georgian-orange-wine-570301/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/producer-profile-gravner-381970/. Last verified 2026-09-29