Have you ever heard about Georgian wines? And tried them as well? I have heard a lot but honestly haven’t really got the chance to taste one of them until recently. And now that I did, I thought to educate myself more about the cradle of winemaking and share this knowledge with you too!
The Cradle:
Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. It is the home to grapevine cultivation and wine production for at least 8000 years. It is located at the coast of the Black Sea, embraced by the Caucasus Mountains from the North, where it borders on Russia. It also has a border with Turkey and Armenia from South and Azerbaijan from East. The cultivated grape variety Vinis Vinifera comes from here, and its produce was fermented and served in the same kind of clay vessels that are used in the XXI century. The UNESCO has officially called Georgia the Cradle of Wine.
Georgia’s territorial and climate conditions are optimal for wine-making. Extremes of weather are unusual: summers tend to be short-sleeve sunny, and winters mild and frost-free. Georgia’s moderate climate and moist air, influenced by the Black Sea, provide the best conditions for vine cultivating. The soil in vineyards is so intensively cultivated that the grapevines grow up the trunks of fruit trees eventually hanging down along the fruit when they ripen. This method of cultivation is called maglari.
Wine making regions:
Kakheti – the most important Georgian wine making region. The vineyards giving the best quality wines are located in the Alazani and Iori basins, at 400-700 meters above sea level, on humus-carbonate, black and alluvial soils. Of 20 aboriginal wines registered in Georgia 15 belong to Kakheti. Among Georgian wines Kakhetian wine expresses soil the most. High quality wines are made Kakhetian grape varieties using both European and traditional wine making technology. The most wide-spread grape variety in Kakheti is Saperavi.
Kartli – notable wine making region in Georgia. It is known for its classic European style and high-quality sparkling wines. The vineyards are cultivated in extensive basins of the rivers – Mtkvari and its tributaries, Liakhvi and Ksani, at 450-700 meters above sea level. Besides local varieties, foreign varieties are also common in Kartli: Aligote, Pino Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot, Cyrano, Riesling and Muscat. Like in Kakheti both traditional and European wine-making techniques are common in Kartli.
Imereti – one of the most diverse regions of Georgian wine making, climatic conditions and soil composition are very different, and so the wines and varieties. Traditional winemaking here as well as in other regions is linked with qvevri, which is called Churi in Imereti. Imereti is famous for Sviri Krakhuna, Obchuri Tsolikouri and Kvalituri Tsitska.
Racha – Lechkhumi – distinguished to other regions by scarcity of vineyards and rare grape varieties. Racha encompasses the bigger section of Ambrolauri district. The vineyards here are grown mostly on the slopes of River Rioni gorge. Among the most notable wines in this region are Usakhelouri and the place of origin-named wines are Khvanchkara and Tvishi.
Black Sea Coastal Zone – Viticulture and wine making of these regions is situated along the Black Sea coastal area, the vineyards are at 2-4 m above sea level and extend up to 500 meters. The climate is subtropical, humid, in some areas even wetland and therefore, the vine has a long vegetation period. Vintage in these regions started very late, November and sometimes lasted even until the end of January.
Meskheti – probably the highest mountain viticulture region not only in Georgia, but throughout the World . The vines are found here at 900-1700 meters above the sea level. The Meskhetian Viticulture primarily means gardens and vineyards on terraces, which have several names: Oroko, Dariji, Bakani, Saqve. In Meskheti there was a lowland and a highland vineyard separation. Meskheti is one of the most ancient sites of viticulture in Georgia, some scientists believe that ancient Georgian varieties Saperavi, Dzvelshavi, Khikhvi and others could have origins in Meskheti.
Grape varieties:
Traditional Georgian grape varieties are little known in the World. Although there are nearly 400 to choose from, only 38 varieties are officially grown for commercial viticulture in Georgia. For keeping it “short”, I am only going to mention the most notable ones:
Red grapes:
- Saperavi: Georgia’s leading red grape variety. A very old variety, that’s the most widely planted red grape, with 10% of all plantings throughout the country (over 4000 ha). It produces substantial deep red wines that are suitable for extended aging, up to fifty years. Saperavi has the potential to produce high alcohol levels and is used extensively for blending with other lesser varieties.
- Tavkveri: indigenous to Kartli but also grown in Kakheti. Tavkveri grows well in deep clay and sandy soils. Its flowers are completely functionally female and therefore must be planted nearby other varieties such as Chinuri or Goruli Mtsvane to ensure pollination. Tavkveri is produced both in modern and qvevri styles; modern production may include time in oak barrels. A reasonably versatile variety, it can be an attractive, middle-weight dry red, rosé, sparkling, fortified or dessert wine.
- Mujuretuli: with Aleksandrouli, best known as forming the other half of the cult partnership that is Khvanchkara. It is largely cultivated along the Rioni River in western Georgia, in the Ambrolauri and Tsageri districts. Monovarietal plantings of Mujuretuli are rare; it is mostly interplanted with Aleksandrouli in limestone and carbonate rocky soils.
- Chkhaveri: A western Georgian variety, Chkhaveri is mostly planted near the Black Sea coast in Adjara and especially in Guria, but also in Imereti. Chkhaveri originally was a maghlari wine, a vine trained to grow up trees. This pinkish-violet variety is rather sensitive to site and its methods of cultivation; especially susceptible to downy mildew, and with very thin skins, it generally needs careful vineyard attention to generate quality fruit. It grows particularly well on cooler, south-facing hillsides with limestone soils.
- Ojaleshi: One of Georgia’s oldest vine varieties. It was the dominant variety in the mountainous district of Samegrelo in north-western Georgia, it was trained as a maghlari vine up persimmon or alder trees. Ojaleshi was widely cultivated in this manner throughout Guria’s central and upper mountain villages before the arrival of fungal diseases and phylloxera in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Otskhanuri Sapere: Another grape with the same linguistic root, but genetically distinct from Saperavi. Considered to be one of the oldest Georgian varieties, Otskhanuri Sapere grows only in the western part of the country, mostly in Racha-Lechkhumi and Imereti.
White grapes:
- Rkatsiteli: the leading white grape variety in Georgia, comprising 43% of all vineyard plantings across 20,000 hectares. The time of its origin is uncertain, but is native to Kakheti in eastern Georgia and is cultivated throughout the province, as well as in Kartli. Rkatsiteli is produced through both traditional and European vinification methods, and is the principal grape in most Kakhetian white wines. Because Rkatsiteli has relatively quiet aromatics, is is often blended with 15-20 percent Mtsvane Kakhuri, such as for the PDOs Gurjaani, Tsinandali, and Vazisubani.
- Mtsvane Kakhuri: one of six different Mtsvane variations that grow throughout Georgia, each with a different DNA fingerprint, and each named for the origin of its growth. Mtsvane Kakhuri grows well on the calcareous soils in Kakheti, southeastern Georgia, particularly in the appellations of Tsinandali, Manavi, Gurdjaani, Vazisubani and Kardenakhi. There were 249 hectares planted as of 2004.
- Chinuri: Originating in Kartli, but also grown in Kakheti. Not being particularly fussy as to site, it grows well diverse soils and locations, whether in alluvial or stony soils, on steep slopes or the plains. With its naturally high acidity, Chinuri is most famous for the sparkling PDO Atenuri wine, which may include Goruli Mtsvane or Aligoté in the assemblage. There were 955 hectares in production as of 2004.
- Goruli Mtsvane: The variety is mostly planted in the alluvial soils along the Mtkvari River including the Ateni Valley. One of Georgia’s lighter-bodied wines, Goruli Mtsvane is best drunk when young and fresh, when its floral, lime, and subtle honeyed notes are crisp and most vibrant. There were 224 hectares in production as of the last census in 2004, though there have been additional plantings since that time.
- Tsolikouri: The leading white grape of western Georgia, Tsolikouri originates in Kolkheti.Most Tsolikouri plantings are in Imereti and Guria, but it is also planted in Racha-Lechkhumi, Samegrelo, and Adjara. When made in the European style, Tsolikouri wines are medium- to full-bodied, slightly oily, with soft acidity and a broad texture, with subtle notes of yellow fruits, melon, mineral, and a light floral lift It may be fermented and/or matured in oak. With 15% of total plantings there were 6161 hectares in production as of 2004.
- Tsitska: Grown throughout upper and central Imereti. When vinified to dryness, Tsitska wines suggest yellow fruits such as quince, melon, and pear, sometimes with a honeyed note. Tsitska may be blended with Tsolikouri, and sometimes Krakhuna, for PDO Sviri and other dry table wines. Tsitska represented six percent of all grapes planted in Georgia in 2004 (2839 ha).
Georgian wine styles:
Traditionally, Georgian wines carry the name of the source region, district or village, much like French regional wines such as Bordeaux or Burgundy. Georgian wines are usually a blend of two or more grapes. The wines are classified as sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry, dry, fortified and sparkling (Tsinandali, Mtsvane, Alazani, Akhasheni, Mukuzani, Usakhelauri, Saperavi Dzelshavi, Anaga just to name a few, but there are many of them, you can read the whole list on Wikipedia here!).
There are 25 PDOs (Protected Designations of Origin) registered with Sakpatenti, Georgia’s national intellectual property center. (You can find the whole list HERE!)
Qvevri Wine:
Qvevri wine-making started 8000 years ago in Georgia and this tradition is still preserved today. The Georgian traditional method of making Qvevri wine was awarded the status of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Monuments in 2013.
The Qvevri is a unique clay vessel for making and storing wine. The oldest type of pottery found in Georgia belongs to the VI-V millennia BC. The shape of the Georgian Qvevri that exists today dates back to the III millennium BC. Egg-shaped Qvevri is currently the most common.
Qvevri wine generally involves fermenting, vinifying, and aging a certain amount of grape juice with chacha (husks of grapes/grape skin and pips). The first and foremost rule of Qvevri wine-making is to delay the wine in the Qvevri on its chacha both during and after the alcoholic fermentation.
Winemaking technology varies in different parts of Georgia. For example, in Kakheti, the total amount of chacha participates in alcoholic fermentation, and the Imereti way of Qvevri wine-making means adding not a total amount of chacha, but a maximum of one-third, to the grape juice poured into Qvevri.
The grape variety, the duration of alcoholic fermentation and environmental conditions are important factors for determining the period of delay of the wine on its chacha. On average, red wine can be kept in Qvevri only during the period of alcoholic fermentation (7-10 days, maximum of 2 weeks). In the case of white grapes, the wine is kept with the chacha until spring.
Qvevri clay contains limestone, and a small number of precious metals (gold, silver, and copper). Lime, which reacts with tartaric acid, on the one hand, strengthens the walls of the Qvevri, on the other hand, acts as a natural antiseptic. It takes an average of 3 months to make a Qvevri. Most of the time goes into its construction and drying.
The temperature in Qvevri buried in the ground does not change and it constantly maintains the 13-15°C which is required for wine fermentation. It naturally and chronologically carries out the chemical processes that require special equipment and additives in factory production. Before the wine is fermented, it needs frequent stirring, 4-5 times a day. At the end of the fermentation, the grape pips, chacha, and husks start to sink and accumulate at the bottom of the Qvevri. Under the influence of pressure, the pips will be covered by sediment, resulting in the separation of the pips and the wine.
Conclusion:
As you can see there are so many things to know and learn about Georgian wines, a lot of them are really interesting but for sure, the pronunciation is the most difficult task to achieve here! I just wanted to give you a „quick” guide on what to look for and if someone is talking about these wines, we are not in the complete dark anymore. And most importantly, to discover more wines from this unique, beautiful and original land of great wines!
I’ve put some link here and there plus you can find the sources just below, please feel free to discover more about Georgia and let me know what I should’ve definitely added to this already quite long article!
Sources:
The Author
