Get to Know Georgian Wines
Shakriani vineyards, Georgia
If there’s one thing that Georgians do a lot of, it’s eat. On my recent trip to the Republic of Georgia, I sat at group tables for hours on end, stuffing myself with the country’s culinary specialties: big, juicy dumplings called khinkali; khachapuri, an eye-shaped bread stuffed with cheese and topped with a yolky egg; lamb-filled grape leaves and cheesy phyllo pies; braised beef with sour plum and walnut sauces; chicken in garlic butter. To go along with all the great grub? Lots and lots of wine.
Background
Kveri Levan Totosashvili, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The oldest winemaking region on the planet, Georgia has a viticultural history that stretches back 8,000 years. It is home to over 500 native grape varieties, and producers also cultivate 350 non-indigenous types. Georgian winemakers also boast a unique style of production, fermenting and, in some cases, aging wines in enormous, underground amphorae called qvevri. Thrown in with skins, seeds, stems, and all, grapes vinified in qvevri gain savory flavor, slight oxidation, and firm tannins. Whites turn a deep golden hue that gives them the name “amber wines.”
Types of Wines & Regions
Along with qvevri reds and whites, there are also what Georgians call classic or European-style wines, made in stainless steel tanks or oak casks, as they would be in France or Italy. Qvevri wines run the gamut from lengthy aging for fuller styles to quicker skin contact that yields brighter wines. The difference essentially maps to geography. Georgian bottles first introduced to the States in the early 2000s (which influenced the rise of orange wine and natural production here) were primarily of the former style. Heavy with qvevri influence, these ambers and amphora reds came from Kakheti, the chilly, mountainous region to the east. Encompassing 18 Protected Designations of Origin (PODs), Kakheti is where the vast majority of grapes are grown. But styles get lighter as you travel westward through central Kartli, with its Continental climate, and into the sub-tropical zones closer to the Black Sea, where the fresh wines can be reminiscent of those from the Mediterranean or Europe’s southern Atlantic coast.
Georgian Wines in America
Georgian wines used to be rare in the U.S. Reflecting its history as a Soviet republic, Georgia’s biggest export market was Russia. But in 2006, in response to Georgia’s increasing alienation from his regime, Putin banned wines from the country, and producers went looking for new markets. That’s been a boon to American drinkers, who have had increasingly more Georgian wines to sample. They are both fascinating and inexpensive. But given Georgia’s complex tradition, plus unfamiliar wine and grape names, how are we to sort through our choices?
A good place to start is by learning a bit about Georgia’s major grape varieties and some of the wines that they yield. I reached out to a few Stateside experts to help explain Georgian fruits of the vine.
Georgian White Wines
White Wine Grapes
Rkatsiteli
Kisi
Khikhvi
Mtsvane
Chinuri
Tsolikouri
Rkatsiteli
Hailing from Kakheti, rkatsiteli is Georgia’s most planted grape. Its name, whose “R” is silent, means “red horn,” a reference to its stems, explains Lasha Tsatava, wine director for New York’s Georgian restaurant trio, Chama Mama. Unlike in other white varieties, the stems of the rkatsiteli vine ripen into reddish-brown sticks, which makes the grape well-suited for qvevri, where stems add earthy spice. “Rkatsiteli’s ability to ripen stems is at the level that some winemakers, when they want to make qvevri wines, use rkatsiteli stems for other grape varieties because they won’t bring green aromas or harshness,” Tsatava explains.
But rkatsiteli’s dominance is also due to its versatility and vigor. “It is productive but also a very good grape,” says Master of Wine Christy Canterbury, who served as U.S. ambassador for Wines of Georgia. “That sounds conflicting, but it does make sense. Just look at Chardonnay. And, like Chardonnay, it’s malleable. You can do it in stainless steel, qvevri, or barrel; it blends well.” Yielding citrus and green apple flavors in stainless steel and dried apricots, peaches, and pears in barrel and qvevri, “it’s a very elastic grape.”
Rkatsiteli Wines
Rkatsiteli Wines
Peachy and pineappley with its blossomy nose, this stainless steel blend of rkatsiteli and a bit of Mtsvane is named for the PDO in Kakheti where the style originates. It’s a lip-smacking steal at under $13.
“This is always a reliable amber to try,” says Tsatava—full-bodied and rich in stone fruit flavors with silky, polished tannins. Serve it slightly chilled but not cold.
Aged in qvevri for over six months, this rkatsiteli offers zesty aroma and a bright finish, with flavors of Golden Delicious apple and sweet tea. It’s a nice, lush sip that would go with both pot pie and fruit pie.
Kisi
Another Kakhetian grape, kisi “is the easiest of Georgia’s 500-plus grape varieties to pronounce, so it gives a break to American wine lovers,” jokes Tsatava. It ripens early, retains its acidity, but isn’t overly brash, all of which has Canterbury equating it to albariño. That’s an especially good analogy for kisi vinified in stainless steel, where it offers some tropical and citrus notes. In qvevri, it’s blossomy with peach and pear flowers and less tannic than rkatsiteli. Yet it’s also densely textured with a viscosity that makes it a good for pairing with a holiday roast, like turkey or ham.
Kisi wines
Kisi Wines
Marani Kondoli Vineyards Mtsvane-Kisi
A stainless steel blend, this white from Kakheti is briny and bright with lots of pithy acidity. It’s a great summer wine for enjoying with shellfish.
Fermented six months in amphorae, this award-winning white swells with punchy, apple panache bolstered by earthy, almondy undertones and a luscious body. It’s a serious wine that can be enjoyed with food or all by its delicious self.
Khikhvi
Vine Ponto Khikhvi
The lowest yielding of the four main white Kakhetian grapes, khikhvi ripens slowly at higher altitudes, where it attains a snappy acidity and a big, bloomy, wild flower–and–honey aroma. Think gewürtztraminer, only less intense and polarizing.
In this apricot-colored qvevri wine, a minty nose yields to lemon peel, honey, and chamomile flower, with plenty of bittersweet tannins and a touch of cinnamon from additional aging in French and American oak.
Mtsvane
Mtsvane Wines
Avanduri Winery Manavi Dry White
Made in the Manavi POD, where gentle, pneumatic pressing and cold masceration helps it retain its lemony, flowery scent, this European-style mtsvane finishes dry but not before it hits your palate with a sweet, apple-y fruit that lingers long after the sip. It would be great with a creamy seafood or chicken dish.
A melange of all four of the main Kakhetian white grapes, this blend is made in stainless steel but with the skin contact that gives in a qvevri character. It starts out with a nose full of white flowers and ends on a big, acidic finale—with a savory, earthy middle that makes it great for gamey meats. Don’t drink it too cold, or the tannins will bite you.
Chinuri
Chateau Mukhrani Goruli Mtsvane
A grape from Kartli in central Georgia, where it is the most-planted white, chinuri is “less fat,” says Tsatava, than grapes from further east. It’s also not quite as tannic. Softer but with naturally high acidity, it lends itself well to sparkling wines, though those are hard to come by Stateside. “I think of it as being not very fruit driven, but more floral and herby,” says Canterbury of this grape whose name means “excellence.”
Chateau Mukhrani Goruli Mtsvane
Though chinuri only makes up 15 percent of blend, you can feel it in this floral, slightly frizzante bottle from the Kartli region. Tasting of lemon drop candies and bitter herbs, it’s best served ice-cold on a hot day, when it offers bracing refreshment.
Tsolikouri
Tsolikouri by M., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From humid, subtropical Imereti, yet cultivated throughout western Georgia, this grape offers plenty of snappy zing and guava and pineapple flavors. It’s refreshing and easy-drinking in a European style. For the rare tsolikouri qvevri wine, producers tend to use far less skin contact than winemakers further east. Tsatava calls it “an introductory style of amber.”
Teliani Valley Tsolikouri
Oily and aromatic, like a dry Reisling, this compelling wine made from grapes cultivated in the western regions of Lechkhumi boasts a silky texture with the fragrance and balanced acidity of a Meyer lemon. Enjoy it with salads and raw bar.
Georgian Red Wines
Red Wine Grapes
Saperavi
Aleksandrouli
Saperavi
Saperavi Lebowskyclone, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“The king of kings,” says Tsatava of this leading Kakhetian red variety. Its name means “deeply colored” or “to dye,” and indeed, saperavi is one of the world’s few teinturier grapes. Its flesh, not just its skin, is red-hued. Accordingly, the wines are intensely tinted. They’re also high in acid and tannin, which gives them long aging potential.
American wine drinkers will definitely see saperavi on U.S. shelves. The grape is widely planted and vinified because, as Canterbury says, “it can be everything.” Producers make it dry, semi-sweet, or full-on sweet. But its expression varies with terroir. On the cooler, right bank of the Alazani, the river that runs through Kakheti, saperavi shows more red fruit. On the warmer left bank, it’s darker and robust. One way to figure out which kind of saperavi you’re considering is to look for a POD on the label. “Mukuzani is very big, bold, burly. Napareuli is a bit more elegant. Kindzmarauli is semi-sweet,” says Canterbury. “If you try one and don’t like it, try another. They’re all so incredibly different.”
Then there’s saperavi's fermenting and aging vessels. “I like to introduce it in stainless steel or qvevri, but people gravitate to oak-aged Saperavi,” says Tsatava, “and it does work well with the barrels’ micro-oxygenation because it’s such a tannic wine.” The porous oak balances out the grape’s stalwart structure. Still, says Tsatava, “I would like to think if you want to taste the pure flavors, try it in stainless steel and serve it lightly chilled so there is a certain progression from opening the bottle and sipping it in the glass.”
Saperavi wines
Saperavi wines
Made in stainless steel, this saperavi smells of dark, plummy fruit and brine. Then a sip of it reveals black raspberry fruit and a dark, roasted coffee finish, with an acidic lift that mingles well with the wine’s silky tannins. It’s a great wine for a steak.
Château Mukhrani Collection Secrete
After a month of skin contact, this saperavi from Kartli is aged in both stainless steel and oak barrels, with just a touch treated to qvevri. Bitter, dark chocolate and cake spice and blackberry bramble and a hint of florality combine for a layered, structured wine.
A semi-sweet saperavi, this one is spicy and tart, a bottle full of raisins and currants but with a terrific acidity. Try it with Thai beef or a well-peppered pork chop.
Aleksandrouli
Canterbury calls this red grape from the high-altitude, westerly region of Racha “my heartthrob.” Medium-bodied with a light, pinkish hue and a peppery character, it’s like a village-level grenache, notes Tsatava, but one made without any oak. It’s low in tannins, high in acidity and offers a mouthful of forest berries. Often, you’ll find it blended with mujuretuli, an oblong, thin-skinned grape to which is related. It offers “beautiful aromatics,” says Canterbury. “It can be very floral, licorice or anise-like, and it’s super elegant.” But it oxidizes quickly, so in qvevri, it gets a quick, light treatment.
Aleksandrouli Wines
Aleksandrouli Wines
Villa Chven Aleksandrouli-Mujuretuli
The dark cherry flavors and medium tannins of this stainless steel–vinified wine make for a juicy sip with Oregon Pinot Noir-ish vibe. Earthy as can be, it’s great with a little chill on it. Enjoy it alongside a drippy burger.
This semi-sweet blend of aleksandrouli and mujuretuli retains so much acidity, it’s like drinking a young ruby port. It smells of raspberry and meadow flowers and tastes of macerated strawberries and raspberries sprinkled with cake spice, with just an edge of herbaceousness. Warm up a mixed berry pie and have at it.