The President of Georgia participated in the National Wine Day conference together with the Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, David Songulashvili, as well as representatives of the executive and legislative branches of Government.

“Our statehood dates back 3 millennia, while the adoption of Christianity as the state religion 17 centuries ago definitively shaped our system of values and civilizational orientation. National Wine Day is a celebration of our identity, cultural heritage, and the centuries-old history that has marked Georgia on the world map as the cradle of wine. From the cultivation of the vine, through the birth of wine, to its culmination in the unique phenomenon of the Georgian supra, this rich and enduring tradition constitutes an inseparable and continuous cycle of our national identity. Every touch with the vine and every moment spent in the vineyard embodies, in essence, the Georgian people’s unconditional love for their soil and homeland”, - said Mikheil Kavelashvili.

He expressed gratitude to all those who continue this ancient tradition today and who promote Georgia around the world as the birthplace of wine and a country of hospitality.

“It is symbolic that Georgians liken the qvevri to the human heart: just as the heart circulates blood throughout the body, the qvevri nourishes our culture with the sacred liquid that has sustained, for centuries, the tradition of the Georgian supra and our interpersonal relations. The vine and wine constitute a central lifeline of Georgian existence, a reality also reflected in vine motifs and ornaments carved into the walls of our churches. For Georgian architects, the vine was as sacred as the temple itself. Our hymns, folklore, and literature are deeply infused with a reverence for the vine. Everywhere - in the sacred hymn ‘Shen Khar Venakhi’ (literally, ‘Thou Art a Vineyard’), in the resonant Polychronion, and in the works of our great poets - the vine appears as an expression of sanctity, life and survival. The foremost symbol of Georgia’s Christianization is the cross of Saint Nino made of vine wood, which eternally reminds us of the inseparable unity of our faith and our native land. I would like to extend gratitude to every winemaker and every farmer who continues this ancient tradition today and who presents Georgia to the world as the birthplace of wine and a country of hospitality”, - added the President.

The conference dedicated to National Wine Day, entitled “Georgian Wine on the Global Market: Opportunities and Challenges,” was attended by clergy, representatives of the diplomatic corps, officials of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, and representatives of the wine industry.