Georgia to auction Stalin's wine collection to fund new viticultural school

The Georgian government will auction approximately 40,000 bottles from Joseph Stalin's historic wine collection, using the proceeds to establish a new viticultural school. Georgia recently opened Stalin's secret wine cellar to the public, revealing the extensive collection of rare wines that had been stored for decades. The auction represents a significant shift in how Georgia handles Soviet-era artifacts, transforming a symbol of the Stalin era into funding for the country's wine education sector. Georgia has a millennia-old winemaking tradition and is considered one of the world's oldest wine-producing regions, making the establishment of a specialized wine school particularly significant for preserving and advancing the country's viticultural heritage.