Feast on Traditional Cuisine: The Supra Banquet

From Sunday, March 10 to Tuesday, May 7, 2019, for approximately two months, the “GEORGIA Homeland of Wine: The World’s Oldest Wine, Georgian Wine Exhibition” was held at event space B&C.



This exhibition, the second of its kind after France, showcased the culture and history of the world's oldest wine, traditional winemaking methods using Qvevri, and historical artifacts from the Georgian National Museum. It offered a comprehensive experience of Georgian wine's charm.

A tasting seminar themed “Georgia – The Cradle of Wine” was led by Kenichi Ohashi, one of the most esteemed Master of Wine holders in the industry. Additionally, Andrew Jefford, a renowned British journalist, wine writer, and blogger for Decanter magazine, delivered a lecture on “Why Georgian Wine Matters.”


Furthermore, a talk event titled “The Potential of Georgian Wine” was held at Tokyo Marine Hall, featuring TV presenter Hitoshi Kusano and sommelier Azusa Segawa. Zurab Karumidze, a Georgian writer, also hosted an experiential session of the traditional banquet, “Supra,” for invited guests at Warehouse Terrada / TMMT Hall.




At the Gakushi Kaikan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, a wine seminar was conducted. The guest speaker was Tochinoshin, a sumo wrestler from Georgia with a championship title, who shared insights into the world of Georgian wine.

Georgian wine is gaining increasing attention. Its unique flavors captivate many, and its future developments are certainly worth watching.

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Georgia: The Birthplace of Wine

Located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, Georgia boasts a long winemaking history, dating back approximately 8,000 years, earning it the title of “the birthplace of wine.”

Remarkably, the traditional winemaking method using Qvevri, large conical clay vessels, is still practiced today. Wine is aged in clay pots buried underground. This technique was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.

The result is “orange wine” (or amber wine), characterized by its distinctive orange hue. White grapes are crushed with their skins and seeds and then fermented. The wine is then separated and aged further, creating this unique color. It offers a complex flavor profile, combining the light aroma of white wine with the depth of red wine. Orange wine is now emerging as the “fourth wine,” alongside red, white, and rosé.

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