According to the Bible, God created man from clay, and it is no coincidence qvevri, a pitcher made of clay is a particularly valuable vessel for Georgians. The cellar, for centuries, was considered a sacred place and during the period of repression, a number of religious rituals took refuge within its blessed walls.

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We have already mentioned the ancient qvevri, discovered in Georgia 8000 years ago, but not many people know that it was originally located above the ground, and with the passage of time, Georgians started burying pitchers into the ground, like vines, as something very precious and dear. Other than symbolic, this had a practical purpose, as the underground pitcher is a microcosm, where the chemical process required to make wine is carried out by itself, while in factory production it is done with the help of special equipment. 

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Additionally, qvevri is a natural thermo-regulator and maintains the temperature of 13-15 degrees required for the fermentation of wine the whole year round.

The lime it contains is an antiseptic and protects wine from up to 400 bacteria.

The conical shape of the Qvevri deserves a special mention, due to which the grape seeds, grape stem, and chacha sink down and wine does not suffer from their negative impact - on the other hand, this is how you get a tannin-rich, aromatic, and quality juice.

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In Georgia, qvevri making was a descendant profession, considered as an artist, a "sculptor of a wine house." We Georgians did not only make pitchers but built them as a house, with our own hands, with patience and care. In other words, for us, qvevri is "a fire-fortified house of wine".

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The meaning of qvevri is easily understood in the Georgian language, we have at least 12 synonyms for it and the word “tavmoubmeli” which is still actively used to denote an awkward, disorganized person appeared in its time to denote the person who could not close the top part of qvevri.

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The centuries-old care and maintenance of qvevri tradition have been appreciated by UNESCO and the traditional method of putting wine in a pitcher, was awarded the Status of a Monument of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013, and in May 2021, the Georgian National Intellectual Property Center also registered the geographical indication of qvevri - it is the first non-food product that has been added to the State Register of Geographical Indications.

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The Qvevri was and is a humble friend of a man, and the head of the pitcher is a reflection of the winemaker's soul -

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"whatever you shout into it, it echoes back".

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That is why Ilia called a good wine a “true wine”.

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True wine is made by only righteous people.

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