That's just brilliant!

So Russia and the Republic of Georgia have on-going back and forth conflicts. It's like that annoying bickering couple that you want to avoid at all times. I am not familiar with the details of it but it ranges from Georgia breaking away from the Soviet Union to kicking Russian troops out to becoming best friends with khinkali eating President Bush. And Russia has retaliated in a variety of ways, including sabotaging gas pipes thus preventing gas from being delivered to Georgia to banning import of Georgia’s wine.

Georgia is fairly well known for its wine, at least in the former Soviet Union and now European circles. It’s not your vintage Italian variety but some of it is quite tasty. In Russia, Georgian wine is regarded highly and therefore it is often faked. Russia is now claiming that Georgian wine is too polluted for human consumption therefore it should not be sold to Russian consumers. Georgians are up in arms about it since parts of its income in generated from wine exports and exports to Russia make up a considerable chuck of the total wine revenue.

Now, as much as I know, Georgians are going about the typical way of negotiating with the Russians. The usual government minister talking to another minister. Or something like that.

But a small group of Georgians and expats living in Georgians staged the most brilliant supra (Georgian feast) in front of the Georgian Embassy. Below, I am copying an article from the Messenger, the daily English language newspaper in Tbilisi, and a link to TV report of the feast where you can catch of glance at slightly drunken people toasting to the greatness of wine. I’d give an arm and a leg to have been there!

Link to the video is here: http://www.rustavi2.com.ge/news_text.php?id_news=15408&pg=1&im=main&ct=3&wth=

And the article from the Messenger:

Supra on Chavchavadze: international Georgian wine enthusiasts try to show
Russia what it's missing out on
By Tiko Giorgadze
The Messenger

As the Russian embargo on Georgian wine stretches into its second month and the government scrambles to open up new markets for Georgia's second largest export, a small group gathered in front of the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi on Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.

With the generous cooperation of the Krombacher restaurant on Chavchavadze Avenue (home of some of Vake's best khinkhale), a long table and approximately 15 chairs were transported to a spot on the wide sidewalk facing the embassy and the World Association of Wine Lovers (WAWL) - an informal organization made up primarily of foreign wine enthusiasts residing in Georgia - sat down despite the current cold spell that has made the city feel more like November than late-April to hold their version of a traditional Georgian open-air supra.

"We decided to hold this public supra - in which we are drinking some excellent Georgian wine - to show the world that we support Georgian winemakers, and that we are against the aggressive politics behind the ban," WAWL Vere chapter president John Mackedon, told Rustavi 2.

According to the organization's manifesto, WAWL was established in 2006 in Tbilisi. It is committed to protecting the right of all law-abiding individuals to purchase, possess and drink quality wine as well as preserving the diversity of global viticulture through appropriate PR and
cultural understanding.

"WAWL prides itself on its ability to communicate peacefully and to quench the fire of ignorance and misunderstanding with its two primary Vine Lover's Pillars (VLPs): wine and conversation," the organization's manifesto proclaims.

The association has over 12 members - a number which has more than tripled since the Russian Federation banned Georgian wine imports. If restrictive wine control legislation is proposed at the local, state or international level, WAWL members and supporters make use of their efficient grassroots email network to alert one another and discuss the best course of action.

"In this case we decided that the best thing we - as foreigners living in Georgia - could do, would be to drink some quality Georgian wine in plain view of the Russian diplomatic corps. This shows that it's not only Georgians, but members of the international community who feel that the ban is wrongheaded," explained a WAWL member who preferred to maintain
anonymity.

The mood at Thursday's supra was festive with a number of toasts being proposed in Georgian, English and Russian, as WAWL participants sampled a variety of wines, both homemade and factory bottled. WAWL members provided the wine themselves and the event was not sponsored by any company, although one large jug of white wine from the Borjomi region was donated by Georgian friends, Mackedon explained.

"Georgian-Russian relations will be only damaged if cultural relations are blocked. I don't know anything about Saakashvili's relations with Russia but I came here to support Georgian wine and I want to make it clear that this is not a protest against Russian culture. We are just reminding both sides that Georgia and Russia have known each other for a long time and there's no reason why they should not be able to sit down and drink wine together," association member Kieth Mellnick told Rustavi 2.

WAWL believes that the best way to solve this problem is through civilized negotiation - something which a well-placed table laden with some of Georgia's finest wines could contribute to significantly.

The association's manifesto makes it clear that WAWL is categorically against of any sort of falsification and strongly believes that wine counterfeiters and their activities should be eradicated, but through counseling and education rather than stonewall legislation.

WAWL Vake chapter co-chair Tim Blauvelt finds the ban to be beyond comprehension. "I cannot understand why Russians are depriving themselves of the chance to partake in this excellent wine that we are drinking here. We want show them what they are missing out on and to invite them to come get pleasure from the drink that they are banning," Blauvelt declared, raising his glass.

A rumor spread that the Russian Ambassador had been invited to the event and periodic movement was spotted between the slats of the vertical Venetian blinds covering the embassy windows although no representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps ventured out to join the group.