Nor the trip to Michelin-starred La Madia through the weird, industrial ugliness of Gela.

BBC: Postcard from Southeast Sicily

When Gela closed the qvevri last autumn, it was full of cloudy rkatsiteli grape juice.

BBC: Discovering wine in Georgia

Mr. GELA BEZHUASHVILI (Foreign Minister, Georgia): This guy has a criminal record, so he has ties with criminal gangs, you know.

NPR: Tensions Rise Between Russia and Georgia

Gela scoops out the wine in clay cups for the first toast.

BBC: Discovering wine in Georgia

In his wine cellar in Napareuli, six miles down the road from the Alaverdi Cathedral, Gela Gamtikulashvili crosses himself and prises the cover of a qvevri from its airtight clay seal.

BBC: Discovering wine in Georgia

Gela Bezhuashvili is Georgia's foreign minister.

NPR: Tensions Rise Between Russia and Georgia