The Burial of our Qvevri, the Birth of a Marani

I have been digging a hole for awhile. I had to place the qvevri in it several times to judge how much deeper to dig. Finally it was time to bury the qvevri. I placed the qvevri in the hole and tried to make it level. I slowly added soil, mostly clay-based around the bottom. The next task was to compact the soil. Oxygen can travel through soil. I recall reading that loose soil is up to 30% oxygen permeable whereas compacted soil is just 5% oxygen permeable.

Burring the qvevri and building the marani

I then added more soil and compacted it. I filled the hole to about two inches from the lip on the qvevri. The ground was leveled and then bricks were placed around the qvevri in a sunburst pattern. Now I can become creative as I start to make the marani.  I added some sand between the bricks and then compacted it down. My next step was to add mortar between the bricks and add bricks around the perimeter. It needs some dry time. I hope my Georgian friends don’t laugh to much at my lack of my mason skills.

I’d like to add another layer of bricks over the bricks around the perimeter. Other than that, the qvevri is buried, and the marani has started. The next step is to make wine.

Cheers,
Terry