Georgia is known as the `cradle of wine` as it is believed that winemaking stems from this area around 8000 years ago. Early Georgian winemaking traditions are still prevalent many thousands of years later including the use of a Qvevri (pronounced kwev-ri); a clay pot buried underground for fermentation and storage. As a Christian nation, Georgia was left unscathed by the Crusades in medieval times and was outside of the Ottoman empire which banned wine consumption under Sharia law which has meant that Georgia is not only the oldest wine region, but also the region which has most consistently produced wine throughout its history.