17 of the Best Wines From the Country of Georgia
They are grapes you’ve never heard of. The names are mostly unfamiliar. Some are fermented and aged underground in massive egg-shaped clay pots, just as they were thousands of years ago.
These are the grapes and wines of Georgia, a country that borders Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and the Black Sea almost 6,000 miles from the United States — and just as far from the minds of most American wine drinkers.
But that may be changing.
If Georgian wines are not yet having a moment in this country, they are starting to catch on and deserve more attention. “We’re selling shipping containers of wine from Georgia,” says Jenny Lefcourt, owner and founder of Jenny & François Selections, a New York-based natural wine importer. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
She was reflecting on the success of the wines here after a tasting presented by her four Georgian producers, who had come to New York to promote their wines. It was a couple of days after I had returned from my own first visit to Georgia where I tasted many dozens of wines from producers small and large over the course of a week.
For most Americans, the wines of Georgia represent something new and compelling, with grape names like Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Tavkveri, and so many more.
Georgian wines are different and affordable, from a country where wine is so woven into its history and culture that Mother of Georgia, the towering statue that looks down from a mountain over Tbilisi, the capital, holds a sword in one hand and a wine bowl in the other. It’s a powerful symbol of how Georgia has long been defined by wine and war — invaded, occupied, and controlled over the centuries by, among others, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Russians, and the Soviet Union. But through it all, wine was a constant.
“Georgian wine is one of the most important symbols of our identity,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared at a conference I attended in Tbilisi in early May marking Georgia’s first National Wine Day.
To safeguard the traditional winemaking method — fermentation and aging in large clay vessels called qvevri that are placed underground — the technique was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013. I saw no sign that it was in danger of being lost, at least not now.
Credit: Edward Deitch
But during Georgia’s long and repressive Soviet rule, from 1921 until independence in 1991, traditional winemaking was stifled. Under communism, Georgia’s wine industry was all about quantity, not quality. Production by big state-run wine companies was mostly limited to the red Saperavi and white Rkatsiteli grapes, which can make wonderful wines in the right hands, but were favored under the collective system for their vigor and high yields.
Georgia, with its 8,000 years of documented wine history — archaeological evidence suggests it is the birthplace of wine — was turned into an industrial-scale wine supplier to the Soviet Union. Small producers using qvevris were reduced to making wines only for their families. (In doing so, they were able to preserve some varieties in their backyard vineyards that might have otherwise been lost.)
“We had a small vineyard,” says Iago Bitarishvili, the owner of Iago’s Wine, a tiny producer of qvevri wines in the Kartli region not far from Tbilisi, “but bottling and selling [the wine] was impossible.” Georgia, as a country that produced quality wines, was off the map.
“We were absent because we were doing millions of bottles for the Soviet Union,” Patrick Honnef, the German-born winemaker of Château Mukhrani, also in Kartli, laments to a group of journalists, “and everyone thought France is the origin of wine culture, or Italy.”
Credit: Edward Deitch
While the return of traditional qvevri winemaking has reignited momentum in Georgia and become a darling of the natural wine movement in the U.S. and elsewhere, the technique accounts for only about 5 percent of the wines, most notably in the warm Kakheti region in the east. But it is spurring interest in other Georgian wines and regions.
Imereti, a cooler region in the central-west part of Georgia, is known for producing European-style white wines in a fresher, lighter, higher-acid style from indigenous grapes that provide unique alternatives to ubiquitous varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Wines from Imerti are generally made with less skin contact and are often aged in stainless steel tanks or smaller qvevri.
Although traditional winemaking has been revived and is alive and well in Georgia, the small country of just 3.7 million people still sends more than 60 percent of its wine production to Russia, one sign of just how dependent on Russia Georgia remains.
Depending on the producer, the wines are made in a range of styles. Georgia is best known for its amber or orange wines, which are made with months-long contact with the color-producing skins of white grapes and aged in qvevri. Although these wines only account for a small slice of production, they have led the way in the worldwide amber wine movement, and have increased awareness of Georgian wines overall.
Other white wines are made by the “classic” or European method, as Georgians call it, and are aged in oak barrels or stainless steel tanks. Many of the red wines I tasted were fermented and aged in qvevri, which softens their intensity and lets the fruit dominate without oak exposure.
While the grapes and wines of Georgia offer an intriguing kaleidoscope of flavors, colors, and textures, the country has widely been pigeonholed by its skin-contact amber qvevri wines, which, for some, are an acquired taste. That’s why Shota Natroshvili, export director at Teliani Valley in Kakheti, Georgia’s largest and most important wine region, says Georgia needs to focus more on grape varieties, particularly the red Saperavi.
“I think Saperavi has all the ingredients to be a global grape,” he says. “Just like Argentina has Malbec, just like France has Cabernet, Georgia has Saperavi.” He points to its fruity character, balance, and “a name that is relatively easy to pronounce.” He describes it as “a Malbec with Syrah tannins.” In fact, the variety is grown by a number of producers in New York’s Finger Lakes, including the pioneering Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, which also makes a version of the white Rhkatsiteli.
Whether it’s Saperavi or some of the dozens of other indigenous varieties being produced, Georgia holds a treasure trove of grapes and wines. Although its wine tradition goes back 8,000 years, Georgia’s modern wine era is only a few decades old. The terroirs, ignored for so long during Soviet mass production, are still being discovered, or rediscovered, along with grape varieties that were all but lost. Based on my tastings of a cross-section of the wines, Georgia deserves a bigger role on the international wine scene.
Here are 17 of the top wines from Georgia:
White and Amber Wines:
Château Mukhrani Goruli Mtsvane 2024
Château Mukhrani is in Georgia’s Kartli region not far from Tbilisi. This lovely white wine from the Goruli Mtsvane grape is aged in both stainless steel and large oak casks. The vines grow in soil composed of sandy clay, river stones, and limestone. The aromas and flavors include pear, white peach, and hints of orange and vanilla. Crisp yet elegant and round on the palate. (The ʼ22 vintage is available here.)
Price: $28
Buy This Wine
Iago’s Wine Chinuri 2023
This very dry amber wine made from the Chinuri grape receives six months of skin contact in qvevri and shows subtle hints of citrus, white peach, and dried apricot. It will come alive with all kinds of vegetarian dishes, for which Georgia is justly famous. Iago Bitarishvili, a pioneer of the qvevri winemaking revival, received Georgia’s first organic certification in 2005. He farms just over seven acres of vineyards in Kartli and produces 10,000 to 12,000 bottles, all of them exported.
Price: $38
Buy This Wine
Pheasant’s Tears Kisi 2024
Aged in qvevri with six months of skin contact, this wine from the Kisi grape has notes of dried stone fruits, sour apple, and a touch of citrus. It’s an excellent example of an amber wine that drinks more like a red and paired well with a range of foods in a tasting at Pheasant’s Tears restaurant in Kakheti, even a Georgian beef stew.
Price: $25
Buy This Wine
Igavi Wines Tsolikouri 2024
From Georgia’s western Imereti region, where Tsolikouri is the top white grape, this beautiful wine shows plenty of depth with yellow fruit notes, rich citrus, a touch of smoke, and lots of minerality. The 60-year-old vineyard lies in clay-limestone soil and the wine is pressed and aged in large, neutral oak barrels. There’s a nice leesy finish. The winery is owned by the British-born Aidan Raftery, who arrived in Georgia by way of Australia and New Zealand.
Price: $29
Buy This Wine
Ramaz Tsitska-Tsolikouri 2024
Another wine from Imereti, this blend of the Tsitska and Tsolikouri grapes comes from old vines grown in clay, flint, and limestone soils. Made without skin contact, it’s light, fresh, mineral-driven, and simply gorgeous with notes of Meyer lemon, orange, a touch of vanilla, and a hint of green olive. The grapes were fermented together in qvevri, where they were aged for five months and then for another five months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. The alcohol sits at a modest 11.5 percent. Ramaz Nikoladze started the winery in 2007, reviving his family’s small ancestral vineyard.
Price: $29
Buy This Wine
Anapea Village Khikhvi 2020
With its deep amber color and moderate tannins, this is a terrific food wine that has softened with age. Made from the Khikhvi grape, it’s dominated by yellow apple, dried apricot, tea, and floral notes with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel. It’s aged in qvevri with the skins for six months, and then for another six months in separate qvevri. Anapea Village farms organically and was started by a husband-and-wife team in 2013.
Price: $24
Buy This Wine
Vazisubani Estate 3 Qvevri 2021
This amber wine is a blend of the Kakhuri Mtsvivani, Kisi, and Rkatsiteli grapes fermented and aged in qvevri. The prettyw nose shows dried apricot, tropical fruit, and spice notes that continue on the palate.
Price: $26
Buy This Wine
Red Wines:
Pheasant’s Tears Chkhaveri 2024
I loved this wine, which was made from the red Chkhaveri grape in Kakheti and received just three days of skin contact. It’s lightly tannic and calls to mind sweet cherry and strawberry on the nose and palate.
Price: $26
Buy This Wine
Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi 2023
Made with five days of skin contact, this approachable Saperavi is fermented in qvevri with semi-carbonic maceration, which softens the wine. Aging starts in qvevri and continues in stainless-steel tanks. The wine has concentrated dark and red fruit aromas and flavors, a good deal of earth, and gentle tannins. Simply delicious.
Price: $26
Buy This Wine
Igavi Wines Aladasturi 2024
This lean and lightly colored wine from the Aladasturi grape has an ABV of just 10.5 percent. But it bursts with flavor — like biting into fresh red cherries with lots of acidity. It’s very fresh with a good deal of acidity. I agree with the winemaker, Aidan Raftery, who says it reminds him of a Loire Valley Pineau d’Aunis with its peppery flavor. It’s aged in qvevri — above ground — for nine months. A red wine made for fish pairings.
Price: $29
Buy This Wine
Tchotiashvili Tavkveri ‘SB’ Dry Red 2020
Made from the Tavkveri grape in Kakheti, this lighter-style red is a marked contrast to the fuller style of the Saperavi grape. Notes of black cherry and raspberry are accented by herbs and spice. Aged in qvevri with three months of skin and stem contact, it has a gentle mouthfeel with restrained acidity. (The 2019 is available in the U.S.)
Price: $30
Buy This Wine
Anapea Village ‘Margo’ Saperavi 2024
This unusual Saperavi gives off aromas of red and dark fruits with hints of struck match and wet pavement. It’s lighter in color but intensely flavorful with black cherry, blackberry, and cherry fruit along with herbal, vanilla, and powdered cinnamon touches. The winery likes to experiment, and for this wine the Saperavi juice was partially fermented on white wine skins before aging in qvevri for six months. The importer says this method “results in a red wine with the juiciness of a white.” (The ‘22 vintage is currently available.)
Price: $26
Buy This Wine
Shumi Estate Iberiuli Mukuzani 2023
Let’s decipher the label on this one: Iberiuli is a line of wines produced by the Shumi Estate winery in Kakheti, and Mukuzani is an appellation within Kakheti known for producing robust wines from the Saperavi grape. If you like Cabernet Sauvignons from, say, California, you’ll find this Saperavi appealing with its dark berry fruit and notes of powdered cocoa, tobacco, and vanilla. The wine is aged in oak barrels, and it’s a widely available, under-$20 steal.
Price: $16
Buy This Wine
Teleda Orgo Saperavi 2024
This notable Saperavi from 50-year-old vines and aged in qvevri is fresh, concentrated, and complex, showing red and dark fruit notes along with floral, herbal, and earth hints. Like many Saperavis I tasted, this one packs a good deal of punch, but at a modest 13 percent ABV. It drinks well now but will age and develop for several years.
Price: $26
Buy This Wine
Vazisubani Estate Saperavi Qvevri 2023
This 100 percent Saperavi wine is an excellent value with ripe blackberry and cherry notes accented by a touch of underbrush. Aged in qvevri, the fruit dominates, framed by moderate tannins that will soften as the wine ages.
Price: $20
Buy This Wine
Georgian Sun Saperavi-Aleksandrouli 2023
Instead of an under-$20 Cabernet from California, consider this winning blend of the Saperavi and Aleksandrouli grapes made by the Vazisubani Estate in Kakheti. The wine is round and delicious and shows dark fruit notes, mainly blackberry and black cherry, along with a hint of cocoa and floral and herbal touches.
Price: $19
Buy This Wine
Teliani Saperavi 2024
From a former Soviet-controlled winery in the Kakheti region and now one of the largest in Georgia, this is a lighter, fruit-forward expression of Saperavi aged in stainless steel with only a couple of days of skin contact. It’s lightly tannic with red and dark fruit notes and reminds me of a Beaujolais or a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc.
Price: $20
Buy This Wine
The article 17 of the Best Wines From the Country of Georgia appeared first on VinePair.