Have you noticed that the western words for wine- vin, vino, wine, wein- are very similar to each other? Many of those words seem to be borrowings, since the people in those countries historically did not grow grapes and make wine. On the other hand the oldest wine-making site discovered anywhere in the world thus far is in Georgia and its probable that the western words for wine may have derived from the Georgian word for wine- Ghvino (ღვინო).
It’s also believed that the Georgian script has been modeled after the shape of the vine`s curly offshoots. Which is a living testament to the incredibly old age of Georgian language as well as the legendarily ancient tradition of wine-making.
The script you see on the picture (also current Georgian script) is mkhedruli, however in the past Georgian has been written in two other scripts: Asomtavruli (ასომთავრული) and Nuskhuri (ნუსხური).
The first version of Georgian script can be traced back to at least the 5th century, which is remarkable. Consider that modern English only dates to the 14th century!
The first version of Georgian script can be traced back to at least the 5th century, which is remarkable. Consider that modern English only dates to the 14th century!
p.s. If you are in Georgia and want to impress locals while getting your wine, try saying Ghvino instead of wine. ("Gh"- is Georgian ღ, which could be pronounced as a hard "g")
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