Month 24. A family marani
Bebo's cousin, Mr Revaz, invites us to his marani, the wine cellar of his house in Kakheti. In the floor there are no barrels, only round clay mouths.
Today: wine and the qvevri.
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
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1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Revaz
მობრძანდით ჩემს მარანში! აქ ქვევრები მიწაშია ჩაფლული.mobrdzandit chems maranshi! ak kvevrebi mits'ashia chapluli.Welcome to my marani! Here the qvevris are buried in the ground.
Sam
რატომ მიწაში?rat'om mits'ashi?Why in the ground?
Revaz
მიწაში ტემპერატურა ერთნაირია, ზამთარშიც და ზაფხულშიც. ღვინო ნელა მწიფდება.mits'ashi t'emp'erat'ura ertnairia, zamtarshits da zapkhulshits. ghvino nela mts'ipdeba.In the ground the temperature stays the same, in winter and in summer. The wine matures slowly.
Sam
ეს ტრადიცია ძველია?es t'raditsia dzvelia?Is this tradition old?
Revaz
ძალიან! არქეოლოგებმა რვა ათასი წლის ღვინის კვალი იპოვეს. 2013 წელს კი ქვევრი იუნესკოს სიაში შევიდა.dzalian! arkeologebma rva atasi ts'lis ghvinis k'vali ip'oves. 2013 ts'els k'i kvevri iunesk'os siashi shevida.Very! Archaeologists found traces of wine eight thousand years old. And in 2013 the qvevri entered UNESCO's list.
Sam
როგორ კეთდება ქვევრის ღვინო?rogor k'etdeba kvevris ghvino?How is qvevri wine made?
Revaz
ყურძენს კრეფენ, წურავენ და ქვევრში ასხამენ. ღვინო დუღს, მერე ქვევრს ხურავენ.q'urdzens k'repen, ts'uraven da kvevrshi askhamen. ghvino dughs, mere kvevrs khuraven.They pick the grapes, press them and pour them into the qvevri. The wine ferments, then they seal the qvevri.
Sam
ეს რომელი ყურძენია?es romeli q'urdzenia?Which grape is this?
Revaz
ეს რქაწითელია, თეთრი. ის კი საფერავია, წითელი. გასინჯე!es rkats'itelia, tetri. is k'i saperavia, ts'iteli. gasinje!This is Rkatsiteli, a white one. And that one is Saperavi, a red. Taste it!
Sam
გაუმარჯოს თქვენს მარანს!gaumarjos tkvens marans!To your marani!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მარანი | marani | wine cellar |
| ქვევრი | kvevri | qvevri (large clay wine vessel) |
| ჩაფლული | chapluli | buried |
| ერთნაირი | ertnairi | the same, identical |
| მწიფდება | mts'ipdeba | ripens, matures |
| არქეოლოგი | arkeologi | archaeologist |
| კვალი | k'vali | trace |
| წურავენ | ts'uraven | they press, they squeeze |
| დუღს | dughs | it boils; it ferments |
| ხურავენ | khuraven | they close, they seal |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
How qvevri wine is made: "they" without a subject
To describe a process, Georgian often uses the third person plural with no subject, like English "they" or the passive:
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| ყურძენს კრეფენ.q'urdzens k'repen. | They pick the grapes. (The grapes are picked.) |
| ყურძენს წურავენ.q'urdzens ts'uraven. | They press the grapes. |
| ქვევრში ასხამენ.kvevrshi askhamen. | They pour it into the qvevri. |
| ღვინო დუღს.ghvino dughs. | The wine ferments ("boils"). |
| ქვევრს ხურავენ.kvevrs khuraven. | They seal the qvevri. |
The passive alternative
როგორ კეთდება ქვევრის ღვინო?rogor k'etdeba kvevris ghvino?How is qvevri wine made?
ქვევრები მიწაშია ჩაფლული.kvevrebi mits'ashia chapluli.The qvevris are buried in the ground. (participle + არისaris)
Age of things: genitive
რვა ათასი წლის ღვინის კვალიrva atasi ts'lis ghvinis k'valitraces of wine eight thousand years old
ასი წლის მარანიasi ts'lis marania hundred-year-old marani
5Good to know
In 2013 UNESCO inscribed the "ancient Georgian traditional qvevri wine-making method" on its list of intangible heritage. Archaeologists have found traces of wine in clay jars at Neolithic villages in southern Georgia, about 8,000 years old: Georgians like to call their country "the cradle of wine".
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- What is a მარანიmarani?
- "The qvevris are buried in the ground" is…
- "They pick the grapes" is…
- "How is qvevri wine made?" is…
- "The wine ferments" is…
- "traces of wine eight thousand years old" is…
- When did the qvevri enter UNESCO's list?
- Which grape is a famous red?
- "The wine matures slowly" is…
- What does ერთნაირიertnairi mean?
Well done! Lesson 174 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Say "They pick the grapes in autumn."
Show the answer
ყურძენს შემოდგომაზე კრეფენ.q'urdzens shemodgomaze k'repen. - Say "This wine is made in a qvevri."
Show the answer
ეს ღვინო ქვევრში კეთდება.es ghvino kvevrshi k'etdeba. - Say "a hundred-year-old house"
Show the answer
ასი წლის სახლიasi ts'lis sakhli - Say "Saperavi is a red grape."
Show the answer
საფერავი წითელი ყურძენია.saperavi ts'iteli q'urdzenia. - Make a toast: "To your marani!"
Show the answer
გაუმარჯოს თქვენს მარანს!gaumarjos tkvens marans!
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free