Last week, the capital of Georgia presented a collection of 20,000 rare wine bottles dating back two centuries, some of which are linked to the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
The collection, stored in a historic cellar, was presented by the Georgian National Wine Agency, which described it as an important discovery of the country’s wine heritage that could interest international collectors, historians, and auction houses.
The collection includes top-quality Kartvelian and foreign wines and spirits, some over 200 years old, including bottles “associated with the personal collections of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, and other historical figures,” according to the agency’s statement.
It did not elaborate further on the connection with Napoleon or Stalin – the Soviet dictator born in Georgia.
It is expected that experts will now identify the bottles, determine their origin, and assess the historical and commercial value of the collection, the agency added.
“The exhibited items could become important lots at major international auctions,” the statement said.
The collection, located in a 19th-century Tbilisi winery funded by Georgian philanthropist and industrialist David Sarajishvili, “emphasizes Georgia’s importance as the cradle of wine,” Agriculture Minister David Songulashvili told journalists.
The country by the Black Sea claims to have the oldest wine-making traditions in the world.
Archaeologists have found evidence of wine production in the current territory of Georgia dating back 8,000 years, and wine culture is very important to the country’s national identity.
In 2013, the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO included the traditional Georgian wine-making method using qvevri—large clay vessels buried underground—in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
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