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GEORGIA: NASA ENLISTED IN EFFORT TO STAKE CLAIM TO "CRADLE OF WINE" TITLE
EurasiaNet.org
June 13 2014
June 12, 2014 - 11:22pm
In its effort to stake claim to the title of being the "birthplace"
of wine, Georgia a few years back petitioned the European Union,
successfully earning the right to sell its wine in Europe using the
tagline "The Cradle of Wine."
Considering there are others -- namely next door Armenia -- that
are also claiming to be the place where wine was born, it appears
that Georgian authorities are taking extra steps to solidify their
claim on the title. As the Georgian wine news site Hvino.com reports,
Levan Davitashvili, director of Georgia's National Wine Agency, has
said his organization has provided numerous labs -- including one
run by the American space agency NASA -- with archeological material
that will prove "Georgia's status as the motherland of wine." From
Hvino's report:
According to Levan Davitashvili, the research project can't be
accomplished in a short period of time, but the Georgian side expects
that a lot of material will prove that grape vine domestication and
wine production started in Georgia.
Director of the National Wine Agency notes that in April new
excavations were carried out in the region of Kartli, and the unearthed
artifacts will supposedly prove that Georgia is the homeland of
wine. "We have a fragmentary material. However, it is not recognized
by leading scientists.
We are convinced that we are a wine country, but it must be proved
scientifically," said Levan Davitashvli.
While NASA's scientists work their way through Georgia's artifacts,
they might want to take a look at the research of Swiss botanist Jose
Vouillamoz, who studies the DNA of grape varieties. His findings? That
many of the most famous grape varieties used to make wine in Europe
trace their roots back to not Georgia but to yet another "cradle"
of wine, Turkey.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68566
EurasiaNet.org
June 13 2014
June 12, 2014 - 11:22pm
In its effort to stake claim to the title of being the "birthplace"
of wine, Georgia a few years back petitioned the European Union,
successfully earning the right to sell its wine in Europe using the
tagline "The Cradle of Wine."
Considering there are others -- namely next door Armenia -- that
are also claiming to be the place where wine was born, it appears
that Georgian authorities are taking extra steps to solidify their
claim on the title. As the Georgian wine news site Hvino.com reports,
Levan Davitashvili, director of Georgia's National Wine Agency, has
said his organization has provided numerous labs -- including one
run by the American space agency NASA -- with archeological material
that will prove "Georgia's status as the motherland of wine." From
Hvino's report:
According to Levan Davitashvili, the research project can't be
accomplished in a short period of time, but the Georgian side expects
that a lot of material will prove that grape vine domestication and
wine production started in Georgia.
Director of the National Wine Agency notes that in April new
excavations were carried out in the region of Kartli, and the unearthed
artifacts will supposedly prove that Georgia is the homeland of
wine. "We have a fragmentary material. However, it is not recognized
by leading scientists.
We are convinced that we are a wine country, but it must be proved
scientifically," said Levan Davitashvli.
While NASA's scientists work their way through Georgia's artifacts,
they might want to take a look at the research of Swiss botanist Jose
Vouillamoz, who studies the DNA of grape varieties. His findings? That
many of the most famous grape varieties used to make wine in Europe
trace their roots back to not Georgia but to yet another "cradle"
of wine, Turkey.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68566