Winery and wine cellar both in Georgian language are called Marani. However, Marani is not only the place where wine is stored. Marani often serves as a place for crushing and pressing grapes, fermenting the wine and of course, the main location for the storage and aging of the wine.
Most interestingly, Marani in the past has alost served as an important place for religious ceremonies. As pagans, ancient Georgians worshiped the vine tree and the drink made from it and present-day traditions have retained some of the practices of those original ceremonies. Most of modern Georgian villagers still have functioning Marani in their plots usually located close to their vineyards.
Marani is an essential part of understanding Georgian ethnography. Sources have helped indicate the two primary types of Marani: closed (covered) and open. Closed Marani are mostly found in Eastern Georgia especially in Kakheti region. Here Qvevris are buried in soil under the roof of the building and barrels or tanks are also located inside. In West Georgia the most common type is the open Marani. Here Qvevris are also buried in soil but in an open-air place normally close to a building with winemaking facilities and too
ls. Barrels and tanks similarly to the Eastern Georgian variety are located inside of this building.
There are number of villages in Georgia named Marani or Marana most probably indicating the locations of important historic wine cellars in the area. These villages are even mention in the writings of the famous French writer, Alexandre Dumas, in his book “Travels in the Caucasus”.
