We Azerbaijanis are full of contradictions,” said my guide, Habil Gudratli, as he led me through the doors of Kefli, a wine bar in Baku whose name translates as ‘tipsy’. “We are both European and Asian; we have an ancient history but are also considered a ‘new’ nation; and we are Muslims who love to drink.”
We sat down and ordered from the bar's wine list, which champions small Azerbaijani labels and native Caucasian grape varieties. I scoured their unfamiliar names as Gudratli expounded on why locals believe their country to be one of the first to have created wine. As if to punctuate his point, glasses of rich, red Saperavi and crisp, white Bayanshira swiftly arrived.
In fairness, his claims weren't just national pride talking. Evidence of grape fermentation has been found in the region that dates back thousands of years – “Before wine emerged anywhere in Mediterranean Europe,” claimed Gudratli. As such, drinking wine has long been ingrained in Azerbaijani culture and is depicted on ancient ceramics and in miniatures found in the State Museum of Art, It is even described in the epic romantic poems of Nizami Ganjavi, known as the Shakespeare of the Caucasus.
“Drinking wine has long been ingrained in Azerbaijani culture and is depicted on ancient ceramics”
“Even when Islam arrived after the (Cheers!) Here's to a great journey ahead.”
