1 GEOLOGY
Georgia has a complex geology marked by a long, sometimes violent and ongoing tectonic evolution. Supra-subduction volcanics, granite formation, deep regional metamorphism, deformation and orogenesis (mountain creation) have all contributed to the creation of a remarkable diversity of terroirs in a small country.
Georgia sits within the Caucasus, which comprises several distinct tectonic units (terranes and subterranes1). The mountain range itself runs for more than 1,100 kilometres in a north-west to south-east direction from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. The collision of the two plates created an intracontinental fold and thrust mountain belt system. The complexity of this system is compounded by the differing angles of the faults and thrust belts. While one (the Adjara-Trialeti) runs west to east, the Greater Caucasian fold-thrust belt follows the contours of the mountain range in a west-north-west to east-south-east direction.
In the late Proterozoic–Early Cenozoic eras, from 2,500 to 541 million years ago (mya), Georgia was home to the now-vanished Tethys Ocean. Underneath the Transcaucasus lies the southern active edge of the Euroasiatic lithospheric plate. Later, the Eurasian and Africa–Arabian lithospheric plates collided; the relatively rigid Georgian Block slid under the Greater Caucasus. This collision and uplift ultimately created the Caucasus Mountains and determined Georgia’s structure and geological evolution. Even today, the two plates continue to converge at a rate of approximately 20 to 30 millimetres per year; the northward movement of the Arabian plate creates ongoing tectonic stress.
1 See the Glossary (p. 297) for definitions of specific geological terms and soils discussed in this book.
Satsnakheli
After pressing, the chacha (skins, pips, and stems) is added to the qvevri for the alcoholic fermentation, which may last anywhere from eight to twelve days depending on the variety and the quality of the vintage. The percentage of stems and skins also depends on the harvest quality. Many winemakers destem first and will exclude unripe stems.30 The skins are referred to as the ‘mother’ (deda). Wines made with no skins are ‘without the mother’ (udedo). Fermentation begins with ambient yeasts, usually after two or three days; the must is punched down and stirred periodically to provide sufficient oxygen for the yeast at lag phase, to keep the rising cap wet and to encourage extraction of the skin components. As the juice becomes wine, the seeds settle to the narrow bottom of the qvevri; if the seeds are not removed, only this bottom fraction will have bitter seed tannin and will be discarded or distilled.
Once the fermentation is completed and the cap starts to sink, the qvevri will be covered with stone or glass lids; the lids are then sealed hermetically with limestone clay, earth or silicone sealant and left in the ground until spring (typically late March or early April) – or even longer depending on the needs and desires of the winemaker. Once sealed, clay is often placed on top of the lid and kept moist.
Traditionally, the qvevri was not opened until spring and, of course, there was great expectation, often celebration, upon opening. Today, recognition
30 It is Kakheti that primarily is associated with stems in the cuvée. Elsewhere in Georgia the stems never ripened sufficiently.
that wine faults such as mercaptans can develop if the wine is left unattended has prompted producers such as Khareba to develop special caps that allow insertion of a wine thief to confirm that the solids and the cuvée are fully healthy. Others have taken to opening the qvevri once a month to check the health of the chacha.
In the spring, the wine is separated from the solids and may be run off into another qvevri for another year of ageing. (Many small producers start bottling, however, as they need cash flow.)
This extended maceration through to the spring is referred to as eastern, or winemaking according to the Kakhetian technique. These wines have a firm tannic texture across the palate; whites develop aromas of apricots, orange peel and nuts; the reds tend to develop a chalkier texture, though when young this is less noticeable if the tannins are woven in ripe, fleshy fruit. With ageing they develop a viscous texture from both polymerization and glycerol generation.
Kakhetian amber wines have always been known for their firm, mouthfilling tannic texture and structure. To achieve this, producers today are using a variety of methods. Some dry the stems in the hot sun before they add a percentage to the qvevri. This must be carefully observed to ensure no mould grows. Others use stems from only Rkatsiteli grapes (even in qvevri of other varieties), as it is said that they get the ripest. Some are doing away with stems entirely or adding a very small percentage to the fermenting juice. At Danieli in Napareuli, through observing the fermentation process, they recognized that the pips rise to the top of the qvevri twice during the fermentation. Nine to eleven days into the fermentation, they skim the pips off when they float up, thus preventing the wine from extracting their bitterness. Others, such as Gogi Dakishvili in Kisiskhevi, prefer post-fermentation elevage in neutral oak barrels: the slow oxygenation promotes gentle tannin polymerization. A number of winemakers, such as Lado Uzunashvili, like combined lees and skin contact during elevage to soften the tannins and add creaminess to the wine’s texture. And at least one producer who has no barrels is experimenting with micro-oxygenation equipment.
Kakhetian amber wines have a distinctive flavour profile and character, one that deserves its own spot as a classic wine style. The top wines are tannic, yes, but the tannins add texture, freshness, savouriness and vitality, balanced with considerable depth of fruit. In the best wines, when young, the tannins can range from lightly chalky to sinewy or resinous. The relatively high level of
Viticultural Districts
Napareuli PDO
Teliani PDO
Kindzmarauli PDO
Kvareli PDO
Kakheti PDO
Kotekhi PDO
Kardenakhi PDO
Gurjaani PDO
Akhasheni PDO
Mukuzani PDO
Vazisubani PDO Tsinandali PDO
Lagodekhi
Upper Kakheti
Akhmeta
Akhalsopeli
Kvareli
Grem Gremi
Shilda Eniseli
Gurjaani
Telavi Kvareli Gurjaani
Maghraani
Napareuli Kvemo-Alvani
Artana
Kondoli
Akura Tsinandali Kurdghelauri
Telavi
Zemo- Alvani
Matani Akhmeta Ikalto Vardisubani
Akhasheni Vazisubani
Kardenakhi Bakurtsikhe Mukuzani Velistsikhe
Lagodekhi
Gavazi
5 KAKHETI
Georgia predominantly is a winemaking country, and on her territory you can hardly find a corner where by natural conditions a grapevine cannot grow … certain parts of Kakheti [are] literally a solid vineyard.
Ekonomist Gruzii, 1918
Kakheti’s significance in Georgian wine history cannot be overstated. It has long been the locus not just for winegrowing, but also for education and research. As far back as 1120 in the old village of Ikalto, close to the regional centre of Telavi, Arcen Ikaltoeli founded his academy where viticulture and traditional winemaking were taught alongside mathematics and theology. A stone chapel stands among the remains. Behind the chapel lies evidence of ancient qvevri into which crushed grapes flowed naturally down the mountainsides via stone channels.
Today wine grapes are transported by truck. Kakheti produces 68 per cent of the country’s wine by volume, and 75 per cent of grapes are grown specifically for wine production. While the majority of wines by volume today are produced with modern European production methods, the rugged province of Kakheti has retained its own distinctive tradition of qvevri wine production. Indeed, when people over-generalize about Georgian wine, especially qvevri wine, more often than not they are thinking of traditional Kakhetian wine, a white wine fermented in clay vessels with extended skin contact, perhaps with stems.
Kakheti is an appellation in itself, but is also divided into subappellations. In total it is home to fifteen of the twenty Protected
Designations of Origin (PDOs). It covers 10,399 square kilometres, though some of it is not suitable for vineyards. Close to the Alazani River, the water table is too high; too high up the mountains, grapes won’t ripen. The appellation laws allow Kakheti-denominated wine to grow between 200 metres and 720 metres above sea level, but most of the vineyards lie between 400 and 700 metres. There are also two research vineyards, one in Telavi, and a second, sponsored by the Wine Club in Kardenakhi, devoted to propagating historic varieties.
The eastern part of the Caucasus Mountains defines the region of Kakheti. Terroirs in Kakheti are primarily distinguished by four factors: their proximity to the main Caucasus Mountain Range, the levels of humidity and precipitation, soils and altitude. The areas further north and north-west benefit from their closer proximity to the main Caucasus
Traditional Kakhetian equipment for cleaning and ladling, including krazana (on wall), sartskhi (cherry bark on stick), orshimo (for ladling out), clay chapi (on floor)
Mountain Range and the cool breezes that flow south. Kakheti is drier than western Georgia and is less affected by the Black Sea. Within Kakheti, and the Alazani Valley specifically, there is more moisture and precipitation in the north-west, and it becomes drier as one moves south-east toward Sighnaghi. The climate is considered ‘transitional’ –from dry subtropical to moderately humid. There are three different agro-climatic zones: subtropical, warm and moderately warm. These three zones are actually divided up into fifteen different meteorological zones – but there’s no need to go into that here. Precipitation ranges from 600 to 800 millimetres annually. Summers are hot and often quite dry. Winters are moderately cold and cloudy with little snow, except up in the mountains.
Two common hazards throughout almost all of Kakheti are hail and fungal diseases. More exposed places, naturally, are more vulnerable to the former; it is the rare site that may not have the annual risk of up to 30 per cent crop loss. Damaging spring or autumn hailstorms may occur one to three times a year, perhaps less in the north-west, in Napareuli, than south-east in Kardenakhi. Even for a climate less humid than western Georgia’s, fungal diseases are a common threat, particularly during veraison. Several growers have noted that the threat has accelerated with the advance of climate change. Snow in the winter has largely disappeared. There may be a few light snowfalls but not to the extent that the vines are blanketed by snow for any appreciable length of time. Instead, there is more rain in the springtime. Gogi Dakishvili observes that the amount of precipitation remains the same, so that the vineyards have adequate water reserves; others disagree and have changed some of their farming practices in response to drier conditions in the winter and summer. Flowering and fruit set have become trickier with these climatic changes, and higher springtime humidity increases the danger of fungus infestations. Constant attention and vigilance are more important than ever.
Kakheti’s geology is characterized by a complex, folded series of nappes riven by faults. The sedimentary cover mostly consists of a thick series of Early to Middle Jurassic shales and sandstone with volcanogenic sedimentary formations. The oldest are shales and clay-rich shales, which contain layers of fine-grained sandstones, siltstones and carbonate rocks. Magmatic activity also disrupted the region, bringing quartz porphyries, granite porphyries and thick basalt sheets. Quaternary deposits run like veins along the faults and along the Alazani and Iori
Viticultural Districts
Manavi
Tibaani
Kakheti
Sighnaghi
Iori
Iori
inazalA
Lower Kakheti
Sagarejo
Dedoplistskaro
Pirosmani
Bodbe
Sighnaghi Tsnori Anaga
Kakabeti
Mariamjvari Nature Reserve
Vashlovani National Park
Chachuna Sanctuary
Iori Sanctuary
Dali Reservoir
Tibaani
Dzveli Anaga
Manavi Sagarejo
week or two compared to elsewhere in Kakheti on the other side of the Tsiv-Gombori.
Notwithstanding historic renown, Khashmi more recently had been under the radar. It was the wines of Malkhaz Jackelli, one of the first organic wine producers in the area, whose Khashmi Saperavis first attracted attention.
Along with Soliko Tsaishvili and a few other growers who collectively established the Vino Underground wine bar in Tbilisi, Jackelli – a mathematician by training who reinvented himself as a winegrower in the twenty-first century – carefully planted and managed a Saperavi vineyard he planted with Zaza, his brother, in 2001. A vinous autodidact, Jackelli made wine from 2005 through 2014, after which the brothers lost control of the vineyard – an unfortunate casualty when small farmers run foul of others with outsized egos and petty jealousies.46
The PDO gets its name from Khashmi, a tiny rural hamlet, just east of the Iori River, located north of Route S5, which is the tamer, flatter route into Kakheti. The hamlet itself has little to recommend it, but the growing area has clay-based alluvial soils and the good fortune to suffer from hail far less than further east in Kakheti, as it is tucked between the Iori and the south-western slopes of the Tsiv-Gombori. Jackelli experienced only one bad hailstorm – 2009 – in his thirteen years growing there, and the average number of hail days is only 2.4. Looking out toward the ruins of the Ujarma fortress, some of the best vineyards slope down towards the Iori, protected by the mountains to their back. More open areas are vulnerable to frost or winter kill. The appellation covers 887 hectares.
Like elsewhere in Kakheti, the climate is moderately humid, with hot summers and moderately cold winters. Proximity to the mountains and river ensures a constant breeze, though of varying velocity. Precipitation averages 770 millimetres annually, with May the most inclement (90 to 130 millimetres) and when the threat of hail is the greatest. Although a number of newer producers now dry farm, the area benefits from snow melt, and has long been irrigated by a centrally-controlled flood system. Budburst in Khashmi typically is in mid-April; flowering in early June; veraison is after 15 August. The harvest used to be the latest in all of Kakheti, in early October, but increasingly it is in the second half of September and moving earlier. (Some people harvested as early as 10 or 11 September in 2018.)
46 Jackelli left Georgia in 2015. Jackeli [sic] Winery, based in Kisiskhevi, is owned by his brother Zaza and is a separate project.
Aladashvili returns to Switzerland annually for seminars and continuing education; he is generous with the knowledge he acquires abroad while determined to preserve ancient know-how. Among agronomy students, securing a position at Ruispiri is a plum internship.
Ikalto: the lower zone – Gulgula
Across the Turdo, below the Telavi–Akhmeta artery, the land is flat; these vineyards are only about a kilometre from the riverside. There are a number of little hamlets here, but it is Gulgula, closest to Turdo and the middle zone, where the best vineyards in the zone reside. It’s relatively flat and about 100 metres lower than the middle zone, in some places extending to the terraces of the Alazani. The soils are alluvialcarbonate, composed of mountain river alluvium. They are loamy and sandy over alluvial and proluvial sediments. In spots there are also dark grey forest soils over forest clays and loam. It can be quite stony, too: the Matsantsara River (above and behind Telavi) has overflowed repeatedly, washing river stones down into Gulgula.
Zurab Kviriashvili (FB Zurab Kviriashvili Vineyards; NWA) dry farms his 40-year-old Gulgula vines organically. He had a bit of a mishap recently: a herd of cattle wandering off-course trampled some new seedlings in a nearby vineyard, so he hired a guard for the 2018 replacements. Until the newer vines start producing, he’s happy with his old vines, which produce fruit he sometimes blends with grapes from his parcel in Artana. Even if the elevation at his Artana and Gulgula properties is identical, other conditions create two entirely different wines. The ripening cycle begins earlier at Artana; but, as Gulgula is drier, the vines are more virus resistant. The Artana fruit has a ‘smoother’ aroma, Kviriashvili observes and, if skin-fermented, has a more fruit-forward character than a similar wine from Gulgula.
Kviriashvili flatly says he does not want to farm or make wine exactly the way his grandfather did; he likes to experiment. Originally a construction engineer, he ended up at UC Davis in 2000 for a wine marketing programme, then landed a spot in a winemaker exchange programme. Two years of practical California winery experience and oenology coursework now inform his qvevri wines. California seems to have influenced Kviriashvili in ways beyond the wine science as he also thinks about the energy in the marani: there’s no Mozart or Schubert being piped in, but nervous, screaming kids are not allowed entry. He guards the place himself.
Tsinandali PDO, 653 hectares
It might be unfair to some of the other regions, but Tsinandali can be called the heart of Kakhetian wine. At least, it is the heart of noble Kakhetian wine. For here we find not just Chavchavadze’s palace, but also other recently renovated and resurrected estates that offer elegant counterpoint to other Kakhetian wineries, whether they be larger enterprises or tiny cellars.
During the twentieth century, Tsinandali became Georgia’s most respected dry white wine; it had such pride of place that the Soviets branded it ‘Tsinandali No. 1’ in their branding regime. As an appellation, Tsinandali is a relatively large area, so it’s no surprise at this point, with an area that includes foothills and valley floor, that the terroirs are divided into zones based on altitude. Immediately beyond the Ikalto zone, the appellation extends from Kisiskhevi to the Akuriskhevi tributary just beyond Akura village. It includes the villages of Khodasheni, Kondoli and Tsinandali.
Tsinandali Palace
Tsinandali was the heart of Chavchavadze’s estate, but his property extended through Mukuzani and Zegaani to the south-east. The following discussion breaks apart this zone by altitude, the PDOs, and significant villages nested within.
The upper zone (550 to 600 metres elevation)
The main artery from Telavi toward Gurjaani neatly divides the upper zone, the Tsiv-Gombori foothills, from the middle zone below the roadway. Below the roadway the Valley begins to slide down toward the Alazani. Entering Tsinandali, one crosses over the Turdo River, entering Kurdghelauri, which extends to the Kisiskhevi. The upper zone is on the right, rising into the foothills. Here, south of the highway, the region includes the vineyards of Shalauri, Kisiskhevi, Busheti, Vanta, KvemoKhodasheni, part of Tsinandali village and Akura. The vineyards face north-east and east at 550 to 600 metres elevation.
The soil is largely humus-carbonate, forming a long band along the foothills, though the level of active humus is, of course, variable. The soils are heavy loam, loamy skeletal, in places heavily skeletal, on top of various limestone formations. Saperavi, Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grow here; new plantings such as at the revived Tsinandali Estate have placed the new Saperavi plants at lower elevations and the whites above.
Akura
One of the better known of the Tsinandali inner villages, Akura straddles both the upper and middle zone. Its north-west border is the Vantiskhevi (river gorge); the south-east, the Akuriskhevi (river gorge). The growing area descends from its steep, rocky top in the foothills to gravel and sand below. Then, closer to the highway and just beyond the railway, there is an evolution to brown forest carbonate loam soils (often quite heavy) and different proportions of skeletal clays and pure clays on the valley floor closer to the main river.
The top of Akura is quite steep with calcareous alluvial and diluvial stones reminiscent of the galets in southern Rhône. There is no topsoil; the wind has blown it off. Four metres down it’s still mostly gravel; but according to Lespy of GWS, there is some clay below that retains some moisture. Wines from this lower part, especially in dry years, will have a much finer, balanced tannic structure. Hillside exposure is north-east, and many vineyards are planted in rows parallel to the river to prevent erosion and to encourage airflow.
Lespy says that Akura has taught him that the Saperavi vine likes stress – but not too much of it: ‘There’s not enough topsoil in the stony upper reaches of the vineyard, and the Saperavi really struggles. Maybe it’s me, because I worked with white wines [for Mouton Rothschild] in Bordeaux, but I suspect that part of the vineyard is much better suited
for white grapes.’ Indeed, other vineyards in the area are dominantly Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane and some Kisi.
The upper vineyards of Akura provide broad, open panoramas to the valley below and the Greater Caucasus Range beyond. Above the village, above and behind its foothill vineyards, a small mosquito-infested wood abuts a cliff overlooking the Vantiskhevi. Not too far within is a small ninth-century stone chapel. Dozens of qvevri are strewn about. More than a few, their necks broken, remain submerged in the ground, some are tucked further away in the woods. A hidden passageway leads down to the Vantiskhevi – an escape route from invading hordes.
The middle zone (500 to 560 metres elevation)
Covering the area between the highway and the railway, the middle zone runs through the villages of Kurdghelauri, Kondoli, Tsinandali and Akura. The vineyards are spread on very gentle slopes slouching into flat land as they approach the Alazani.
The soils are quite diverse. There is a strip below the village of Kisiskhevi that runs from Telavi and Kurdghelauri through Kondoli to the Kisiskhevi tributary. The soils here are dark cinnamonic forest soils, chernozem and dark grey forest soils on top of various rocks. Further, along the roadway from the Kisiskhevi tributary to Akura, there are
Abandoned qvevri hidden above Akura vineyards
delineated; the Mtsvane, kissed by integrated French oak, has a fine tannic line, full palate coverage, and a subtle, layered unfolding.
Spirit
of Georgia/Vine Ponto
Telavi; FB VinePonto
A new venture, since 2015, by an energetic trio of young men. George Bakuradze is the front man, hoping one day to leave his banking career behind. The fruit comes from Bakuradze’s own property or from vineyards where he can direct green harvesting and picking decisions. They rigorously sort their fruit in both the vineyard and winery. Whites ferment with a limited quantity of stems, enough to be edgy and thoroughly Kakhetian but not aggressive. One wishes they would be equally judicious with their use of new oak on some cuvées but, thankfully, there are unoaked offerings. Bakuradze’s mother also runs a guesthouse, conveniently located to explore the environs.
Stori
Nasamkhrali, Telavi; FB Stori Marani
A joint venture led by Davit Azniashvili along with three supporting partners, working with estate and purchased fruit from Napareuli, Ojio and Mukuzani (the Saperavi). The sturdy, unassuming Beka Nakhutsrishvili directs production with attention and expertise. These are solid Kakhetian qvevri wines, firmly structured, with sinew and length. This property deserves greater attention.
Telavi Wine Cellars/Marani
Kurdghelauri, Telavi; www.marani.co
A large winery producing polished, consistent products. Zurab Ramazashvili and his partners continually reinvest in the property; it shows. The entry-level Marani wines, made in stainless steel, are straightforward quaffers. The Kondoli line is a step up, also made in a modern style, and an easy entrée into Georgian varieties. An impressive section of their property is dedicated to qvevri. Most of theirs are 500 litres in size, allowing them to ferment in smaller lots and select the best for their top, aspirational, Satrapezo line. These wines are concentrated, long and refined, even glossy. Their wines can be enjoyed upon release, but several years’ ageing will allow more harmony, elegance and complexity to emerge. A new line of smartly-priced qvevri wines is a safe bet for those nervous about trying qvevri wines or nervous about their wallets.
Teliani Valley Wine Cellars/Glekhuri
www.telianivalley.com
A larger producer with American investment dedicated to producing consistent, clean wines. With 120 hectares in both east and west Georgia, the winery also has its own cooper. A particular standout among their European wines is the bright, vibrant Tsolikouri. Their Glekhuri line of qvevri wines, directed by the talented Temuri Dakishvili, is especially flavourful, well-knit and complete. (Telavi)
Tsinandali Estate
www.tsinandali.ge
Aleksandre Chavchavadze’s winery restored, probably to an even greater glory. This is a professional operation owned by the Silk Road Group since 2008 and guided by David Maisuradze, one of Georgia’s leading winemakers and consultants. The eponymous white (unwooded) is very much in a modern style; Natella, a blend of four Kakhetian whites, is creamier and more complex. The qvevri wines are correct, adroit, skillfully textured. A visit through the palace (which features traveling art exhibits) is time-travel to a vanished world of literary salons and the culture of Romanticism.
The modern marani at Telavi Wine Cellars
Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Tbilisi
Mleta
Chokhi
Kvesheti
Phasanauri
Chartali
Ananuri
Dusheti
Bazaleti
Dzalisi
Mukhrani
Ksani
Orbeti Manglisi
Akhalsopeli
Tetritskaro
Darbazi
Kazreti
Barisakho
Magharoskari
Amgha
As a
Shatili
Mutso
Ukanaphshavi
Pshavi’s
Aragvi
Chargali
Zhinvali Reservoir
Zhinvali
Mchadijvari
Bitsmendi
Viticultural Districts
Choporti
Misaktsieli
Jighaura Galavani
Chardakhi
Dzegvi Tsilkani
Mtskheta
Dighomi
Tskneti
Asureti
Tsintskaro
Khrami
Bolnisi
Saguramo
Tskhvarichamia
Martkophi
Norio
Didi Lilo
Tbilisi
Teleti
Koda
Marneuli
Tamarisi
Kvemo Bolnisi
Mamkhuti
Pholadauri
Opreti
Akhkerpi
Talaveri
Rustavi
Vaziani
Gamarjveba
Akhali
Samgori
Sartichala
Kurtlari
Shulaveri
Kasumlo
Sadakhlo
Gardabani
6 KARTLI
HISTORY
Kartli, the home province of Tbilisi, is the Georgian name for the ancient kingdom classical scholars refer to as Iberia (not to be confused with the western European peninsula of the same name). Its name is derived from the ancient tribe of Karts, whence also comes the language group (Kartvelian) and the modern-day country (Sakartvelo). In the third century BCE, the first king of Kartli-Iberia, Parnavaz, rose to power in Mtskheta, made it his capital, then expanded his dominion into much of western Georgia; legend claims he was a descendant of Kartlos, the ancestor of all Georgians. Such was his power that the other Georgian tribes began to assimilate and consolidated around eastern Georgia, a process that continued when Georgia became Christian in 337. Mtskheta remained the capital until the sixth century CE, when King Dachi moved it to Tbilisi as this was thought to be more defensible. Perhaps, but numerous Persian, Khazar, Arab and Turkish armies invaded and occupied Tbilisi from 570 until King David IV (the Builder) besieged the city in 1121 and liberated it from Seljuk (Muslim) rule the following year. In turn, he moved his residence from Kutaisi in the west, making Tbilisi the capital of the unified state and its province of Kartli the political centre of gravity. The province is divided into three regions, Kvemo (Lower) Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Shida (Inner) Kartli.
All of his wines are made in qvevri. The wines made with skin contact are racked once off of the skins, usually in February or March. He adds a little bit of the lees to the second qvevri as he likes how the autolytic character adds to the structure and provides some texture, and bottles after another four or five months. The skin contact wines are always dry; those made without skin contact frequently have a little residual sugar. Because each qvevri has its own personality, he does not blend them, instead bottling each one individually. He keeps the wine in qvevri for six months if it’s a super vintage, otherwise he opens them after four and a half to five months – it’s always an educated guess, depending on the grape quality. ‘Sometimes I’m even asking myself, “why am I opening this one now?’’’ he chuckles. One year he tried to separate fractions of the qvevri wine but found that the wine needed autolytic characters and resulting structure from the fraction closest to the lees.
Bitarishvili’s late grandmother inspired his love of agriculture; he helped her when she made beer and chacha. Aneta, his microbrew (made with Tsiteli Doli red wheat and wild hops), bears her name. Already, in his lifetime, Iago has inspired and encouraged many others to reclaim these artisanal traditions, to craft an honest product expressive of its native land, roots and ingredients. Two new marani have sprouted up recently in the village but have too short a track record to evaluate. Iago Bitarishvili has put Chardakhi on the map.
SHIDA KARTLI (NORTH-WEST OF TBILISI)
Okami
Okami is but 10 kilometres up the road, but the mid-slope vineyards are gently hillier than in Tserovani, undulating down from the mountain to the highway and then to the river in gentle waves. Fruit from steeper, higher vineyards on the other side of the highway may have higher sugar and higher acidity but, mid-slope, the wine is balanced with more extract. The terroir is perfect for still wines, but too warm for sparkling wines, according to Ori Marani’s Bastien Warskotte. Lower vineyards, in the flatter plains closer to the Ksani River, are considered lesser terroirs. As in Tserovani, a light breeze aids ventilation during the hot summers. The vines are again dry-farmed here, but a bit higher and wilder, with cordons akimbo. (Alapiani is again pruning hard on their 35- to 40-year-old
Viticultural Districts
Ateni PDO
Surami
Kvishkheti
Vakhtana
Tskhinvali
Dirbi Ali
Gomi
Khashuri
Agara
Gverdzineti
Tkemlovana
Kvemo-Roka Edisa
Tskhinvali Region
South Ossetia
Tkviavi
Mereti
Shindisi
Kareli
Variani Karaleti Kheltubani
Bershueti
Ruisi
Zemo
Kvemo
Boshuri
Largvisi
Korinta
Kanchaveti
Akhalgori
Zeghduleti Sakorintlo
Kvemo Chala
Lamiskana
Gori
Khidistavi Kvakhvreli
Samtavisi
Ateni
Shida Kartli
Metekhi
Akhalkalaki
Kavtiskhevi
Tezi Okami
Kaspi
vines to encourage more consistent growth and regularity.) The brown, lightly carbonated soils, with at least some calcareous character, are not that dissimilar from Tserovani, but with plenty of gravel and small stones visible, even more as one digs into the subsoil. Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Shavkapito and Tavkveri dominate the plantings. Merab Mirtskhulava of Alapiani has observed two different versions of Chinuri among the vines. One is yellower when ripe; another is dubbed ‘Kalmakha’ – the local speckled trout – for the tiny spots on the berry skin. Okami was home to an old Soviet winery whose managers told the farmers to keep their Tavkveri grapes – they didn’t fit with the programme. Lucky farmers! Okami Tavkveri is light to medium-bodied, with fresh acidity, light, crispy tannins and Tavkveri’s signature earthiness complemented with red fruit notes. Alapiani’s Okami Shavkapito is more
Patara Liakhvi
Imereti
Viticultural Districts
Samtredia
Varstikhe Reservoir
Khoni
Tskaltubo
Tkibuli
Chiatura
Terjola
Zestaphoni
Vani Baghdati Dimi Obcha
Kvaliti
Tkbuli
Kutaisi
7 IMERETI
Referred to as ‘Colchis’ by the ancient Greeks, Kolkheti in Georgian, this was the land of the Golden Fleece, sought by Jason and the Argonauts. Today, Imereti is Georgia’s second-largest growing region and perhaps its most diverse. Seventy per cent of the province’s 6,540 hectares is mountainous and unsuitable for viticulture or even human habitation. The mountains are covered with coniferous and deciduous forests. Villages and vineyards are tucked into foothills, valleys, plains and gentle slopes throughout the province. Vineyards can be anywhere from 80 to 800 metres above sea level. As such, growing conditions vary considerably.
Rippled with mountains, Imereti is cradled between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Ranges. It is bounded on the east by the Likhi Range, to the south by the Meskheti Ridge. A tunnel at the Kartli–Imereti border now makes travel from Tbilisi easier; after the road cuts through the mountains it meets up with the Dzirula River, thence winding its way deeper into Imereti, abutting a gorge at the north end of the Meskheti Ridge. Homes perched like scattered outposts dot the mountainsides. Way up in the mountain village of Khani, explorers recently uncovered an ancient satsnakheli carved from one volcanic rock. It is too cold to grow grapes there, and with nobody interested in hauling grapes up the mountain, the satsnakheli has been repurposed for cheese production.
In the mid-1800s, Imereti was important as a trade route to Georgia’s western ports. Grapes, both wild and domesticated indigenous varieties, were grown across the province; wine was loaded onto trains at Vartsikhe for export. Single-varietal wines were rare. Back in the 1800s,