Passed down through generations, Givi's family has nurtured these native grapes and the winemaking process for which they are destined.

 

"My ancestors were winemakers," says Givi. "One of them served as the royal wine-cellar keeper for the last king of Imereti in the nineteenth century."  In fact, Givi named his wines Nanua after him.

 

"The main objective of my work and the reason why I am involved in wine production," says Givi, "is to sustain ties with my ancestors and continue their work."

 

Nowadays, however, Givi not only produces wines with his harvests, but grows and collects approximately 120 different endemic grapevine varieties on his three hectares of land. With a changing climate, maintaining the diversity of grapes is a resilience strategy. One variety might be better suited to the changes than another previously used one.

 

Both practical and cultural, Givi believes that the Georgian grapevine varieties are the "treasure, heritage and history of the country".

 

In 2024, to further the reach of his products, Givi received a matching grant from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the European Neighbourhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). Financed by the European Union (EU) and the Government of Sweden, ENPARD supports rural development by tapping into national agricultural potential, creating economic opportunities for rural populations. The programme has also been working on improving food safety in the country, with additional support from the Government of Sweden and the Czech Development Agency.

 

With the matching grant, Givi was able to enhance his small-scale wine production by integrating modern food safety standards with traditional production methodologies. "With the financial assistance, I have obtained equipment for storing wines, a vacuum bottler as well as a distilling machine," says Givi.

 

With the new distilling machine, Givi is able to advance his production of chacha – a typical Georgian, distilled alcoholic beverage. "My cast iron distiller was old and did not meet the modern food safety standards," he points out. "Now, I have a copper distiller, which is of much higher quality and avoids any contaminants ending up in my chacha."

 

"All of these are important for advancing food safety standards and profitability of my efforts," states Givi.   

 

 

Hosting agri-tourists from all over the world is one of the main sources of income of Givi's family business, and food safety is of fundamental importance to Givi when it comes to providing the unique experiences of Georgian hospitality and wine tourism in Imereti. As part of FAO's investment support package, he purchased a fridge and air conditioners.

 

"It helps me in improving basic food safety standards in the kitchen, which is important because serving guests with high-quality and safe products is fundamental to ensure credibility among customers and to establish a long-lasting relationship with them," says Givi.

 

He was also provided with a basic introductory training on implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). "I received information about how food should be received, produced and transported from a facility," he says. 

 

 

Givi also involves guests in the local Imeretian wine production-related activities.

 

"I use traditional methods and technologies, like my ancestors," he remarks. Givi demonstrates to his guests how tchuri – a clay vessel placed in soil and used for storing wine– is cleaned using sticks made of a particular type of bush that grows in the area.

 

Some of the visitors get to plant rare varieties of Georgian grape in Givi's vineyards and garden.

 

"Most people have never heard the names of some of the grape varieties that I have in my collection," Givi points out. "I plant only a few of these varieties and observe how they grow in this soil and climatic conditions to see what types of wine I can produce with them."

 

He continues, "I have wines made with grape varieties, which you do not find in stores and wine bars."

 

Givi plans to further focus on hospitality services. "I get to know about my guests' culture and preferred wines, giving me the insight into the types of wines I should produce in the future."

 

His goal is to also focus more on exporting Georgian wines especially to the European market, taking advantage of the preferential trade agreement the parties signed in 2016.

 

"We have diverse varieties of premium wines in small quantities," Givi remarks. "Such products are in demand in the European markets where consumers with high purchase power are knowledgeable about niche wines."

 

With the equipment purchased through the FAO matching grant, Givi is now more competitive and well positioned to reach his goals. "The better the equipment and knowledge we have about food safety, the better we will be able to adhere to the highest food safety standards," he states, "and food safety is integral for increasing competitiveness, including at international level."

 

"Moreover, it is a great honour to have the opportunity of representing your country from your own home," Givi adds, "and I think that I am doing my country a service, which brings me great joy."

 

Under ENPARD, FAO has already provided matching grants to around 300 farmers and producers in Georgia's regions, supporting them in enhancing food safety standards. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013.

 

The story and photos can be found here: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/endemic-grape-varieties-attract-agri-tourists/en