Culture
The Deep Roots of Czech-Georgian Relations
GCC Editorial ·
Wine, Culture & Friendship
— A story of two wine-loving nations, bound by history, culture, and a shared love of life —
At first glance, Czechia and Georgia may seem like distant neighbours on the map of Europe — one nestled in the heart of Central Europe, the other cradled between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea. Yet when you look closer, through the lens of wine, culture, and the warmth of human friendship, these two nations reveal a surprisingly deep and beautiful connection. Their story is one of ancient traditions, shared values, and a growing bond that continues to flourish across borders.
The Vine as a Symbol: Two Ancient Wine Cultures
Few countries in the world can claim a relationship with wine as ancient and as intimate as Georgia. Archaeological discoveries at Gadachrili Gora in eastern Georgia — studied by an international team led by biochemist Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania — have confirmed that wine was being produced there as far back as 6000 BCE, making Georgia the oldest known wine-producing country in the world. For over 8,000 years, Georgians have been cultivating grapes and fermenting wine in large egg-shaped clay vessels called qvevri, which are buried underground to regulate the fermentation temperature naturally. This tradition is so fundamental to Georgian identity that in 2013, UNESCO inscribed the ancient Georgian winemaking method using qvevri on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Georgia's wine culture goes far beyond a drink — it is woven into the very soul of the nation. The iconic Mother Georgia statue overlooking Tbilisi holds a sword in one hand and a wine cup in the other. Wine is present at every supra (the traditional Georgian feast), at weddings, at religious ceremonies, and at family gatherings. Georgia is home to over 500 indigenous grape varieties, including the celebrated Saperavi red and the amber-hued Rkatsiteli white — varieties unlike anything found elsewhere in Europe.
Czechia, while less ancient in its viniculture, has its own proud and deeply-rooted wine story. Grapevines first arrived in the region during the Roman Empire, around the 2nd century CE, when the Roman Emperor Probus encouraged vine planting in the colonies north of the Alps. By the 9th century, wine had become so valued that, according to legend, the Great Moravian Prince Svatopluk sent a barrel of wine to the Bohemian Prince Bořivoj as a gift to celebrate the birth of his son. It was a gesture that sparked a tradition: Bořivoj and his wife Ludmila planted the first Bohemian vineyards near Mělník, and their grandson, Saint Wenceslas, later became so devoted to viticulture that Czech winemakers still honour him today with the title 'Supremus Magister Vinearum' — Supreme Master of the Vineyards.
The golden age of Czech winemaking stretched from the 14th to the 16th centuries, greatly championed by Emperor Charles IV, who ordered vineyards to be established on every sun-facing hill around Prague. Today, the wine region of southern Moravia — which accounts for around 96% of Czech wine production — produces elegant white wines from varieties like Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, and Welschriesling, along with increasingly celebrated reds. The Moravian Wine Trail, established in 1999, now spans 1,200 kilometres of cycling routes connecting 289 wine-producing villages.
A Meeting of Two Wine Worlds in the Heart of Prague
Today, Georgian wine has found a warm home in the Czech capital. Prague's food and wine scene has embraced the flavours of the Caucasus with enthusiasm. Georgian restaurants such as Gruzie near the Old Town Square serve khinkali, khachapuri, and flowing Georgian wine to packed tables of Czech and international guests night after night.
Prague has even become a venue where the two wine traditions literally meet. In 2019, the Prague Drinks Wine festival chose Georgian qvevri winemaking as its central theme, inviting leading Georgian winemakers to compare their ancient clay-vessel wines side by side with Moravian wines made in the same tradition. The qvevri method resonates deeply with Czech natural wine enthusiasts who value authenticity, terroir, and minimal intervention — values shared on both sides.
A Friendship Built Over Thirty Years
The formal relationship between Czechia and Georgia began on January 1, 1993, when both countries established diplomatic ties simultaneously with the birth of the independent Czech Republic. The Czech Embassy in Tbilisi opened its doors in 2000, followed by the Georgian Embassy in Prague in 2006. Over the past three decades, the two countries have built a network of approximately 20 bilateral treaties covering areas from economics and defence to culture, science, and education.
Education has been one of the most meaningful pillars of this friendship. Georgia is one of only a handful of countries — and the only South Caucasus nation — to which the Czech Government offers fully-funded scholarships under both its Foreign Development Assistance programme and bilateral intergovernmental agreements.
Czechia has also been a long-standing partner in Georgia's development journey, supporting the country through Development Cooperation and Transition programmes for nearly two decades. Georgia holds a special place as one of Czech development cooperation's priority countries.
Two Small Nations, One Shared Spirit
Beyond wine and diplomacy, there is something deeper that connects the Czech and Georgian peoples: a spirit of resilience, a fierce love of culture, and a profound pride in national identity. Both nations have survived centuries of foreign pressures, never losing their language, their music, or their traditions.
Georgian polyphonic singing — one of the oldest vocal traditions in the world, also recognised by UNESCO — shares a certain soulfulness with Czech folk music and the rich choral traditions of Moravia. Both cultures find joy in communal celebration, in long tables set with abundant food and drink, in toasts that express not just good health but a whole philosophy of life.
A Toast to a Beautiful Friendship
In Georgian, the word for cheers is 'Gaumarjos' — which literally means 'victory.' In Czech, you raise your glass and say 'Na zdraví' — 'to health.' Different words, the same spirit: a wish for the good life, shared with people you value.
The relationship between Czechia and Georgia is one of those quiet friendships that doesn't always make the headlines but runs genuinely and warmly beneath the surface of public life. Wine, more than almost anything else, has the power to bring people together across languages, histories, and geographies. That both Czechia and Georgia have built their national identities in part around the vine — around the deep pleasure and profound meaning of the shared table — is perhaps the most beautiful foundation for a friendship that will only continue to grow.
— All facts in this article have been verified against official sources including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tbilisi, UNESCO, National Geographic, and academic research published in PNAS.