Stalin, secret wine vault opened: Georgia will sell 40,000 bottles at auction
Amongst French and Georgian labels, wines of the Romanovs and bottles from the 19th century, the Soviet leader's treasured collection will be sold to support wine education
The Georgian government has opened for the first time in Tbilisi the vault that holds aprecious wine collection that once belonged to Josef Stalin. This was reported by the Reuters news agency. The aim is to auction the collection and use the proceeds to create a wine training school in the country.
In the warehouse, amidst cobwebs suspended from the ceiling, dim light and a musky sweetness diffused in the air, some 40 thousand rare French and Georgian bottles are stored. Some date back to the early 19th century. The collection, now owned by the Georgian government, combines Soviet history, Russian imperial memory and Georgian wine tradition.
The initiative was launched this week in the Georgian capital. "The auction will help put Georgia on the collectors' map", said Irakli Gilauri, owner of Gilauri Wines, who collaborated on the project with the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture.
The South Caucasus country presents itself as the cradle of wine. Archaeological evidence points to a continuous wine-growing tradition stretching back some eight thousand years, which the government also intends to enhance through the future training school.
Stalin, who was born in Georgia and led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953, was an avid wine drinker and collector. His collection includes bottles from famous Bordeaux estates that once belonged to Tsar Alexander III of Russia and his son Nicholas II.
