(20 Apr 1997) Russ/Georgian/Nat
There is a deep red secret hidden in the mountainous valleys of Georgia, a treasure trove containing thousands of bottles of wine, some dating back to Napoleon.
Georgia was once a wine-producing giant churning-out millions of bottles of sweet red for all of the Soviet Union.
But today a very small amount of Georgia's grapes get turned into wine.
Factories are on the verge of bankruptcy, and fake wine makers are threatening to take over the wine-making business.
Deep in the mountains of Tbilisi lies a cellar holding Joseph Stalin's collection of his best bottles of sweet red Georgian wine.
The factory which produced the wine crushed its first grapes in 1887 and has swelled to 170-thousand bottles, including Stalin's collection of cognac, whiskey and gin.
The wine was especially made and stored here for Stalin's personal enjoyment at Communist functions and private parties.
Lolita Tevzadze has been taking care of the cellar for nearly 35 years.
She says her most prized possession is a bottle of brandy dating back to Napoleon.
SOUNDBITE: (Georgian)
"This bottle of Napoleon's brandy was left behind in Russia after the war and ended up in Prince Vorontsonv's collection. He then became Viceroy in Georgia and brought his collection here. Vorontsov then presented the cognac to the factory when it opened 100 years ago."
SUPERCAPTION: Lolita Tevzadze, Wine Cellar Care Taker
But the cellar and the factory are facing a crisis.
Wine production is down 15 per cent and profits have taken a nose-dive.
During its Soviet Union heydays, the factory churned out four million bottles a year and exported its wine to all the Soviet republics.
Today workers barely manage to produce 100-thousand bottles a year, sometimes stopping production for months.
Outdated technology, high taxes and the winter energy crisis has left the factory idle for six months each year since 1991.
These workers are seeing the assembly line move for the first time in five months.
The director says the future of the factory is bleak.
He says the heaviest competition comes from fake homemade wine.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Fake wine is our biggest problem. All the markets are full of fake wine everywhere, not only in Georgia, but throughout the CIS. They make Georgian wines in the Moscow region, and give it a famous name like Kwanshatra, but this has no relation to real wine."
SUPERCAPTION: Levan Demetradze, Factory Director
This fake wine maker can produce up to 250 bottles a day at home, which he then sells at the local Tbilisi market.
The bottles look the same on the outside with their fake labels, but there is no guarantee the contents are safe to drink.
But unlike the factory's store, where customers are rare and business is slow, this back street seller can peddle 30 bottles on a good day.
The city market is filled with kiosks trading in fake wine with bottles costing half the price of the real thing.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"My wine is cheaper than the factory wine, perhaps theirs is better, but these days people don't have much money and the economic situation is difficult here. My wine is a little cheaper. And I'm satisfied too -- by doing this I make enough to live on."
SUPERCAPTION: Fake Wine Maker
But all the fake bottles sold on the street won't discourage Lolita.
She'll continue to keep a close eye on her cherished collection back in the cellar, watching the bottles as they collect the dust of centuries.
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