Ineza Karalashvili has been making wine in the Kakheti region of Georgia for over sixty years, together with her brother Tamaz. Their family has been making and selling wine for generations before that, with forebears among the influential "Merchants of the First Guild" in the nineteenth century.
Ineza, who recently turned 85, is the wine chemist responsible for quality control at Georgian Royal Wine, and Tamaz is the head winemaker. They work together with the family’s younger generation, including Rezo, Kate, and Irma. Irma, Ineza’s daughter, joins the Modo di Bere podcast New York City to translate for her mother and uncle as they call in from Georgia.
Irma describe sthe Georgian feast, or "supra," including the personality traits required to serve as the "tamada," a sort of master of ceremonies who leads the complex toasting ritual. Irma recently had Rose Thomas over to her house for a miniature supra, where they tasted her family's delicious wines and Irma's incredible cooking, a skill she learned from her mother. She also teaches Rose Thomas several Georgian drinking sayings.
Learn more about the family's wines at their website: https://grw-wine.com/en/
Follow Georgian Royal Wine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgian.royal.wine/
To see some images of Irma's cooking, watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast
SPANISH LEARNERS NEEDED! This episode is brought to you by Culture Without Borders Language Collective, our exclusive sponsor for the month of October 2025. If you've been wishing for real people to practice your Spanish with, CWB is looking for more English-speaking Spanish learners to join their monthly language exchange.These online meetups are completely FREE for participants.
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Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com
Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/
This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister
Video and audio edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz
Audio assistance by Steve Silverstein
