Wine of Georgia media dinner，Gaumajos Hangzhou！林騎士在杭州主持喬治亞葡萄酒晚宴

After wrapping up my wine judging duties in Qingtian, Zhejiang, I headed straight to the Shangri-La Hotel by Hangzhou’s West Lake to host a Georgian wine media dinner.

忙完在浙江青田的葡萄酒評委工作，林騎士緊接著又來到了杭州西湖邊上的香格里拉酒店，主持了喬治亞葡萄酒媒體晚宴。

It’s a pleasure to be back in Hangzhou, sharing my insights into Georgian wine with friends in the local media.

Simply put, Georgia boasts not only the world’s oldest winemaking tradition, but also more than 500 indigenous grape varieties. Its ancient qvevri winemaking method has also sparked renewed interest and exploration across the global wine community in recent years.

很高興再度來到杭州，與杭州的媒體朋友們分享我對格魯吉亞葡萄酒的理解。簡單地說，格魯吉亞葡萄酒除了擁有最悠久的歷史，同時它還有五百多種特有的葡萄品種，而它的陶罐釀造工藝不僅是具有悠久的歷史，近年來也再度形成全球葡萄酒界探索的風潮。

In Georgia’s traditional drinking and feasting culture, a central role is played by the tamada, or toastmaster. They keep the celebration lively and make sure everyone enjoys the wine without overindulging. Typically witty and eloquent, they are skilled at reading the room and thinking on their feet. Through toasts honoring heaven, ancestors, friendship, and more, they set the tone for the entire feast.

At our dinner, the two representatives from the Georgian Wine Association demonstrated how a tamada guides guests through the wine and toasts, giving us our first taste of Georgia’s warm and spirited drinking culture.

在喬治亞的傳統飲酒和宴席文化中，有一個很重要的角色叫做酒司令。

他們主要負責帶動酒席裡的氣氛，也要讓大家喝得盡興愉快，但又不喝得過多。通常他們都很有幽默感，而且控場能力、反應能力也特別好，口才極佳。他們會敬天、敬祖先、敬友情等等，帶動整個宴席的氣氛。這一次出席的兩位喬治亞葡萄酒協會代表，也在現場跟我們示範了酒司令是如何帶領大家一起享用宴席裡面的酒，也讓我們第一次感受到熱情的喬治亞酒文化。

China has now become the fourth-largest export market for Georgian wine. Representatives from the association expressed confidence that their continued promotional efforts would encourage more consumers to discover and enjoy Georgian wines for themselves.

And with that, allow me to raise a toast in Georgian: Gaumarjos! — გაუმარჯოს!