Identification and Documentation of Endemic Grapevine Varieties in Samegrelo

Georgia is one of the earliest centers of grapevine origin, where the history of grapevine domestication spans several millennia. This is confirmed by the archaeological expedition’s discovery at Shulaveris Gora in Kvemo Kartli - an ancient winemaking vessel, the “dergi,” dated to 7000 BCE (Lortkipanidze 2002; Rusishvili 2010; Chilashvili 2004; McGovern et al. 2017), as well as by archaeobotanical remains discovered in the Dzanisi River valley (Adigeni Municipality), dating back 5 million years (Mirvelashvili, Maghradze 2017). The presence of more than 400 wild grapevine forms in nature, classified as Vitis vinifera L. silvestris (Tsertsvadze 1999), and the abundance of indigenous cultivated grapevine varieties - 525 documented forms of Vitis vinifera L. sativa (Ketskhoveli, Ramishvili, Tabidze 1961)- further support this view. These varieties exhibit characteristics highly adapted to the specific environmental conditions in which they originated.

Among the viticultural regions of Georgia, Samegrelo remains the least studied in terms of identifying and investigating endemic grapevine varieties, despite significant interest from viticulturists.

The present study was carried out within the framework of the internal research project of Caucasus International University, “Development of a Model for the Distribution of Grapevine and Its Associated Crops in Georgia’s Mountainous Regions According to Vertical Zonation.” The project encompasses ampelographic documentation of endemic grapevine varieties identified in the Samegrelo region - Kharistvala Megruli, Machqvaturi, Chergvali, Makhvateli, Chechiphesh, and Paneshi - including descriptive materials on mature leaves, clusters, and berries.