Georgia – The Land Where Wine Was Born!
Isabelle first became interested in Georgia when she tasted Prince Makashvili (now renamed ‘Our Wine’) wines at a Slow Food event in France. She had been interested in wines made in clay pots for a while and knew the technology came from Georgia but had not realised how ubiquitous these ancient pots were in the country or in fact that it was probably in fact in one of these that wine was born some 8000 years ago in the south Caucasus.
A chance meeting in 2008 found her exploring the country and eventually filming a documentary about the dying art of the Qvevri (also spelled Kvevri), which helped raise awareness nationally and internationally about the uniqueness of Georgian wine and the plight of its few remaining artisan potters who were acting as custodians of one of the oldest wine technologies in the world.
The film helped contribute to what eventually became a reversal of fortunes for the dying art. Today Qvevris are not only formally recognized by the UNESCO list of Intangible Heritage of Humanity but many Qvevri-makers around the country now have waiting lists of clients, including Isabelle herself who created 2000 bottles of a natural Georgian orange wine in Kvevri.
THAT CRAZY FRENCH WOMAN in Georgia was broadcast on Travel Channel in 117 countries and 20 languages.