Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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On October 10-12, within the framework of the "Wine Days" established upon the initiative of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Tbilisi hosts an international scientific conference.

The National Wine Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia has organized the conference "Georgian Vine and Wine Culture Research Scientific Project - Results and News’’ with the support of the Government of Georgia.


The Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Mr.  Otar Shamugia, opened the conference.


"We are glad to host you in Georgia, and I am once again very proud to mention that you, the leading scientists of international universities and institutes, are today the honored guests of the homeland of wine. We launched the project in 2014, which aimed to collect new data and confirm that Georgia has an ancient wine culture and tradition.

The results of the research regarding the domestication of vines and the beginning of wine production gave birth to a new reality. In 2017, the world scientific community acknowledged that the oldest wine/ winemaking remains were discovered on the territory of Georgia and that the homeland of wine is Georgia. Today, within the framework of the conference, we want to summarize the results of the project and discuss the priorities of future research together with the researchers, experts, and general public interested in the viticulture and winemaking fields", Mr.  Otar Shamugia stated.



Twenty-two scientists, researchers, and experts from 11 countries worldwide (Georgia, Italy, France, Spain, England, USA, Canada, Israel, Brazil, South Africa, and Croatia) are attending the international scientific conference.

Scientists from Pennsylvania, Montpellier, Milan, Copenhagen, Toronto universities, Israeli Weizmann Institute of Science, and Montpellier National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), are involved in the multidisciplinary ‘’ Georgian Vine and Wine Culture Scientific Research Project’’. 

The project investigates the Georgian vine and wine via several scientific disciplines to learn about its history, current state, and potential for future viticulture-winemaking development.



According to Mr. Patrick McGovern, a scientist and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, the 8,000-year history of Georgian winemaking has already been confirmed by the research project on Georgian vine and wine culture. Excavations and research are underway, and hopefully, more confirmation of the technology of making wine in the pitcher will be revealed.
The conference aims to summarize the results of the scientific research carried out within the project and discuss the priority directions of future research.

The Chairman of the National Wine Agency, Mr.  Levan Mekhuzla, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Mr.  Nodar Papukashvili, the Chairman of the Sectoral Economy and Economic Policy Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr. Davit Songhulashvili attended the opening of the event.