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Qvevri Wine comes To Texas and the United States

amphora

We are encouraging others who share an interest in this original and now unique style of winemaking to work with us and others to revive this ancient craft here in the United States. We believe that it will be an important tool for winemakers, and of significant interest to consumers. In addition, it will raise awareness of Georgian wine production, the varieties found nowhere else and the almost forgotten history of the craft.


 

13 Comments

  1. Paul Read

    This is of interest for the History section of my class, HORT 471/871 “Vines, Wines and You”.
    Are you currently doing research with qvevri winemaking? Are there commercial ventures underway in Texas or elsewhere?

    • trelab

      Hi Paul,

      I am still working on a research paper with my former graduate student getting it ready to submit for peer review. There are numerous areas we would like to pursue for additional research.

      Regarding commercial ventures- we are still deciding our role in that- while we currently make a limited number of qvevri for research and commercial purposes, we are interested to increase production and/or importation. Stay tuned for announcements about that in the near future.

      Cheers,

      Brent

  2. John DeGrazia

    Almost all porcelain makers know that kaolin, an essential ingredient in porcelain clay, comes for the most part from a mine in Florida, halfway between Gainesville and Palatka on the St. John’s. Now, there’s another spot down on the Peace River where gypsum and phosphate are extracted, and a by-product is slime-mud. Is slime-mud fireable (fusible), and at what cone? If it is, then there is sitting unclaimed, but obviously owned as a by-product by the Gypsum and phosphate producers, millions of tons of the stuff. Just as it is, it could be poured into absorbent molds to create super-sized jugs, or qvevri, as well as bisque for the arts and crafts market. Does anyone know anything more about this resource?

    • trelab

      Hi John, sorry for the delay responding. I was hoping knowledgeable pottery folks would chime in. I was actually living in that area on and off 2014-2017. Went looking for megalodon teeth in the Peace River, but was unaware of and don’t know much more about the clay/slime-mud potential… or megalodon shark bisque for that matter, but the shrimp bisque was delicious 😉

  3. Linley York

    Do you sell small terracotta qvevris?

    I have the need for a 10-18 liter quivering.

    Do you know where I can buy fast?

    • trelab

      Hello Linley,

      Our previous potter has decided to focus on his art and community endeavors so we are looking to find a new potter(s) and are also working on importing genuine Georgian Qvevri, but at the moment, we don’t have qvevri for sale and not likely before the end of this vintage. Tom and I are involved in other projects too, Tom is currently in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and I was recently in Malawi, but we work to progress this whenever we can. We are in the process of building a shipping container sized kiln near Austin, TX so stay tuned.

      Best regards,

      Brent

  4. Nancy Edens

    Hello Qvevri Project,
    I am a potter in Palo Pinto County and I want to learn to make Qvevri. I have been asked by a local vineyard to make some and I am having trouble finding all the information I need. If you are still in business, please respond to my inquiry. This is my third attempt to contact you and I am concerned you may no longer be pursuing your plan. Thank you.

    • trelab

      Hi Nancy,

      Sorry for the delay replying to your inquiries. We are still extant, although “still in business” is another matter- we really haven’t focused on the business vs. the art and craft, but continue to see that as important and necessary to our plan future, see a recent article that talks about us in the Austin Chronicle . We also have some details on our Resources page (https://www.qvevriproject.org/resources) that may be helpful to you and I try to update it whenever I find credible new content. I don’t see your other inquiries on this website, but maybe they are on the Facebook page- I’ll investigate and we can follow up via email? Brent

  5. Will Haynes

    Any news on qvevri being available in the US? Would be nice to have even a 10 gallon size for the hobbyist.

    • trelab

      Hello Will,

      Unfortunately, our project does not yet offer them as there have been delays in the development of a facility. There are other makers out there, more and more, so you should be able to find some. There was one in Oregon and there was an importer as well, although I have lost track of their names and contacts. If you search online you may find them and others. I would like to update our website with a listing to these sources, so if you find some, I would be interested in them. Best regards, Brent

  6. 皮春

    I am a Qvevri manufacturer in China, and we make Qvevri in various specifications and uses, all of which are made of natural clay

    • trelab

      Sweet looking Qvevri! I’ve admired them for some time, including a few I saw when I made wines in Ninxia 2015 – 2017. Hope to meet you sometime.

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