Rikki Brown is a PhD Candidate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She recently returned from three years of fieldwork in Georgia, examining the wine economy and the impact of geopolitics on traditional winemaking practices. During fieldwork in Georgia, she taught a course for SRAS on the intersection of Food and Politics. She has a BA in Russian Studies and an MA in Social Sciences and has lived and worked in four former Soviet states, and Turkey. Rikki also has over a decade of experience in the US hospitality industry, including obtaining her Level-1 Sommelier certification.
SRAS program director Renee Stillings sat down to talk with Rikki about Georgian wine. They discuss how it developed from ancient to Soviet to modern times, how it holds in integral place in Georgian cuisine and culture, and how geopolitics has forced Georgia modernize its wine making and diversify its export markets.
Resources from Rikki
Two of my favorite wines/places are:
Ori Marani – Instagram // It’s hard to find their wines in the US, but you can find them around the world here.
Dato’s Wine – Instagram // Available at many wine shops and restaurants throughout the US. A quick search of “Dato’s Wine” will yield results. The Aladasturi I mentioned can be bought in NY. Other wines of his, like Chkhaveri, are also great! A lovely feature of Dato and his winery can be watched here (10 minutes).
One of the texts I mentioned is Stephen Bittner’s Whites and Reds: A History of Wine in the Lands of Tsar and Commissar. For purchase here. A short interview with Stephen can be listened to here.
Another great reference for Georgian wine is Lisa Granik’s Wines of Georgia.
You can find my personal website here.
Pictures of Rikki's Experiences Abroad
