It was Jamie Carrasquilla’s first sip of wine in the country of Georgia that ignited the spark of creation for Vino Ghvino 21, the wine company she runs with her husband and CEO, Michael. “Vino,” is colloquial for “wine” and “Ghvino” (guh-VEE-no) means wine in the language of Georgia. The “21” in the company name refers to the year in which it was founded.
“When I drank that Georgian wine, I fell in love,” Jamie said. “The wine was amazing! Our hosts told me, ‘This wine is our national treasure, the best in the world.’ I became obsessed. Why is this wine so good? Why do we not have it in the USA?”
After marrying Michael, a U.S. Marine, Jamie traveled the world and raised their three children. On a trip to visit one of Michael’s friends in the Republic of Georgia in 2019, she first tasted the wine that would change her life.
A Long History of Winemaking
Research led to answers. Carrasquilla found that archaeology documented an 8000-year-old tradition of fermenting grapes in buried earthenware vessels in Georgia’s Caucasus Mountain area, making it the oldest wine-producing region in the world. In addition to their unique flavor, Georgian wines are organic and contain no sulfites, according to Jamie. “That means no headache and no hangover,” she said.
After years of Soviet occupation that crippled the Georgian wine industry and intended “to keep Georgia from standing on its own,” Jamie said, Georgia fought back and is rebuilding centuries of wineries.
“All of Europe and Asia are on board with Georgian wines, but the USA is the last to join because we lack education about that part of the world,” Jamie said.
Making New History
“I stopped everything to bring this wine to the USA,” Jamie said. She made history as the only woman without other partners to be allowed by the Georgian government to make and export wine to the United States. With headquarters in Tampa and Tbilisi, Georgia, VG21 imports 22 different wines. That is the largest variety and volume of Georgian wine to have ever entered the United States and includes some grape and wine varieties never before available here.
“I enjoy educating people about this wine and its history, but there are challenges,” Jamie said. “The names of the grapes are different. Instead of cabernet, pinot grigio or chardonnay, we have rkatsiteli, saperavi and kisi. But when people taste Georgian wine, it sells itself.”
In just two years since its launch, Vino Ghvino 21 has already become the Official Partner of ZooTampa and the Official Wine of the University of Florida. A testament to VG21’s impact, both notable organizations reached out for partnership with Carrasquilla’s company.
“We are very excited about becoming the official wine of the Florida Gators and we are happy to be proud partners of ZooTampa as well,” Michael said. “VG21 continues to grow and set new firsts for Georgian wine importers.”
Jamie is eager for VG21 to be both a valued member of the community and a nationally recognized brand. “I want our wines to reach a new generation of wine drinkers and to build a bridge to the country of Georgia, one of our allies in a region that is suffering from invasions. I want people to know that when they drink Vino Ghvino 21, they drink the history of a foreign land.”
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