A Georgian Wine Adventure
We landed in Tblisi at 4:30am after two long and rather turbulent flights via Istanbul from Heathrow. The Turkish Airlines flights were very comfortable and served some of the tastiest food I've had on a flight for a while. Unfortunately, the combination of cherry juice (my exotic beverage of choice on both legs!), breakfast at 1am UK time and the rough air currents had made me feel rather queasy. Upon landing, our flight plus passengers from another large aeroplane were ushered into a Soviet era, swelteringly hot passport control queue, manned by only two customs officers, who had clearly just woken up. I proceeded to be violently sick into several kindly donated clear plastic bags. The bright crimson colour of my cherry juice spew suggested that I had consumed too much Merlot on the flight!
Driving into the heart of Tblisi at 7am, after what seemed like lifetime of a wait to get though customs, our spirits were lifted by the sight of the Mother of Georgia watching over the just-waking city and the beautiful, winding Mtkravri River. The beautiful Mother of Georgia monument was erected in 1958 to celebrate 1500 years of Tbilisi. She holds a sword in one hand to ward off enemies and a cup of wine in the other to welcome friends. This set the scene for the next five days as we embarked on our Georgian wine adventure and the discovery of her cradle of wine.
I had the privilege of being invited to Georgia on this special trip for UK press and independent buyers by the National Wine Agency of Georgia. The trip was a fascinating insight into Georgia and its long winemaking heritage. We took a deep dive into their Qvevri winemaking tradition that dates back millennia and is recognised by UNESCO for intangible cultural heritage. We also looked at many wines made using modern wine making techniques, visiting several producers of different sizes, age and scale of production. Georgian wine, gastronomy and tourism are increasingly worth talking about, but there are many parts undiscovered, and even misunderstood, perhaps the reason why us wine trade folk were invited to come and uncover the hidden gems of this historic wine producing country. The food, hospitality and culture were definitely the highlights of this trip for me.
My fellow British wine trade travel partners:
Madeleine from Swirl Wine Group was our UK host guide.
Emma from Levan in London.
Lloyd, owner of Chesters Wine Merchants in Abergavenny, Wales.
Mike 1 - Lea & Sandeman in London.
Mike 2 - Bin Two in Padstow, Cornwall
Tom from Gusto Wines in Arundel
Stuart - The Cricketer's Inn, Southampton
Andy - a Wine writer and blogger based in London
Niki - Vineyards of Sherborne
Emily - Eliot's London
Our Georgian guide and translator was the fantastic Mari Nikachadze, who saved me from eating nuts on several occasions. Walnuts are a major part of the Georgian diet and, sadly, are a hazard to me!
A fantastic bunch representing the UK independent wine trade.
After a much needed five hours of rest, in our ultra- cool, retro-chic Stamba Hotel rooms, we all met in the stylish lobby, ready to be taken to our first lunch. My travel companions, who I think had written me off as the travelsick lady, were very surprised at my come back. Our first meal at Shushabandi Restaurant, was not just any old lunch, but our first (of many) experiences of the welcoming Georgian style of hospitality - Supra or feast! Khachapuri (filled breads), salads with tomato, cucumber and lots of walnuts, cheese, Mtsvadi (skewered grilled meat), Khinkale (Georgian dumplings) and amber coloured traditional wine just kept on being served to us. It was at this point that I recalled Steinbeck's references to his bulging stomach in his travelogue, A Russian Journal, written in 1948 just before the fall of the iron curtain. Steinbeck clearly had a soft spot for the Georgian people, frequently mentioning their warm, welcoming culture or wine, food, song and dance and comparing them to the Welsh!
Exploring the wonderful flavours of a Supra Feast at Shushabandi Restaurant in Tbilisi.
Later that afternoon, just when we all thought we could do with a post-feast nap, we took a short walk to the Wine Factory no.1 in a beautiful old building to meet 20 Georgian wine producers. Here we were presented with over 60 of their wines and started to taste what Georgia's winelands had to offer.
A great introduction to Georgian wine production at the Wine Factory in Tblisi.
These are just a few of my notes on the wines we now stock:
Fresh, zesty and full of life, with aromas of wild, ripe blackcurrants and citrus zest. On the palate it is crisp, clean with notes of minerality and an almond skin finish.
Region: Kakheti
Grapes: Mtsvane
ABV: 13%
Food Match: Fresh goat's cheese salad with grilled asparagus or grilled seafood with pan fried fleshy white fish with a rich, mushroom sauce.
Teliani Valley Kakhuri No8 2020
Beautiful amber, golden coloured wine. Aromas of vanilla, tropical fruit, ripe stone fruit, with hints of orange zest and orange peel. On the palate, lovely dried fruit (apricot) flavours with nutty hints. The finish is fresh with soft, grippy tannins.
Region: Kakheti
Grapes: Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Khikhvi and Kisi
ABV: 12.5%
Food Pairing: Fish dishes and hard cheese. Serve cool, not cold.
The tasting and meeting with so many wonderful Georgian producers gave us just enough time to digest our lunch and prepare for our next welcoming Supra at Keto & Kote Restaurant with its gorgeous vintage design interior, and delicious menu of traditional Georgian food, but with a modern twist. Organic producer Ethno Winery generously hosted our meal and matched the food beautifully with their low intervention wines.
On Tuesday the 4th of June we departed for Khakheti by bus. This is the main wine producing region in the southeast, and where we had several winery visits and started to explore the region and its wines in depth. Our first stop was Askaneli, a large winery and distillery owned by two brothers who are passionate about reviving Georgian winemaking culture. Here we tasted some very modern styles of Georgia's flagship red grape variety, Saperavi. Highlights for me were the Charmat Method Sparkling and still, delicately pink Rosé Saperavis.
Lloyd and Mike 2 enjoying tasting the first chacha (brandy) of the morning at Askaneli.
Next on the itinerary was a tour, tasting and lunch at Kardanakhi 1888. Here we first learned about the ancient Qvevri wine making method. Skin-contact fermentation takes place using the traditional Georgian method of clay jars known as Qvevri. This is the original way of making orange wine.These vessels have been recognised by UNESCO as a process of important cultural heritage.
Explanation of Qvevri clay thickness in the Kardanakhi Winery
Next, we visited George Margvelashvili at Tbilvino Wines. Established 60 years ago, and over this period they have become one of Georgia’s pioneering producers. Almost dormant at the end of the Soviet era, the winery was acquired by the Margvelashvili brothers, who set out to restore the facilities, and moved away from quantity to quality production. Although it was mid-afternoon and our lunch feast had yet to digest, George, in keeping with tradition, put on an extensive wine tasting matched with cheese, nuts and delicious Mtsvadi (pork BBQ) in the shade of his massive vinification tanks. I climbed the stairs to the top of these tanks and was rewarded with a spectacular view of Kakheti and the concertinaed Caucasus mountains. Here are my notes on a great value wine from Tbilvino that we have stocked for a couple of years now:
Iveriuli Saperavi Dry Red 2021
This ripe, Georgian red is full of red cherry and mulberry aromas and flavours, with layers of vanilla. Wonderful, soft rounded tannins with a long, juicy finish. Food matches could be red meat dishes, stews and casseroles, roast lamb or mature hard cheeses.
View of the Caucasus from Tbilvino Winery
Wine tasting in the shade of stainless steel tanks with George Margvelashvili
Our second day of intense wine tasting now over, we headed over the Alazani River to check into the beautiful Lapota Lake Hotel. The swimming pools here are divine and I took full advantage of the top notch facilities. Dinner that evening was relaxed and we had the option to drink water or Coke, having tasted about 60 wines during the day.
Stunning view from the pool at the Lake Lapota Resort Hotel Telavi, Kakheti.
Wednesday morning arrived, another gloriously warm, sunny day. Our first visit was to GWS, one of Georgia’s most important and globally recognised
wineries, based in Kakheti, near the capital, Telavi. They own over 400 hectares of vines. The tasting room at this highly regarded winery was pristine and bright white and we all felt a bit like scientists in a lab until Lloyd dislodged the contents of the U- bend of his spitting sink onto his shoes!
Comparative tasting of three styles of Saperavi at GWS
The highlight of the day was an extensive wine tasting and lunch at Vazisubani Estate. Both Qvevri and conventional wines are made here. I found their oak aged Saperavi to be elegant and concentrated, with great balance.
A memorable tasting and lunch at Vazisubani Estate with Guram Sulkhanishvili - Head Sommelier
Our final visit of the day was to Qvevri Wine Cellar - Nareklishvili Winery.
Ivane Nareklishvili is a third generation winemaker and founded his own
estate in 2015. After spending time in Italy, learning about low intervention wine making he returned back to his home village of Gurjaani, renowned for its amber wines. From his 3 hectares of land in Kakheti, all planted with local grape varieties such as Mtsvane, Kisi and Saperavi, he makes all of his wines in the traditional style in Qvevri vessels with minimal intervention, using naturally occurring yeasts. We tasted some excellent, concentrated, skin contact Qvevri wines with Ivane and feasted for the second time that day on fine fruit, cheese and savoury snacks.
A colourful afternoon of tasting and snacking at Nareklishvili
Our last evening in Kakheti and staying at the Lake Lapota Resort was hosted on the steps of the hotel restaurant and winery Chateau Buera which sits in the foothills of the Caucusus mountains overlooking its immaculate vineyards. We sipped on sparkling, red, white and amber wines all made from indigenous varieties grown on site and took in the warm evening air. We clinked glasses and made toasts to our new Georgian wine friends.
Caucasus Sunset at Chateau Buera
On our last day we had a few hours of free time, which I used to explore the stunning resort before getting back on the bus heading towards Tbilisi. On the way we stopped for a tasting at Dakishvili Winery. Gogi Dakishivili is one of the leading experts in premium Qvevri winemaking. Our visit with the fascinating Gorgi was a special opportunity to see the inner workings of a small family-run marani/ cellar, and learn about the art of making pristine, clean wines in Qvevri. Our departure from here was somewhat delayed after Stuart realised that he had left his passport in the safe at the hotel! Our final lunch together was at Esquisse, a boutique hotel and wine cellar in the heart of Kakheti's principle town, Telavi. All a bit wined out, we drank and toasted with beer for our last Supra together.
Chateau Buera at Lake Lapota Resort in Kakheti
Prestine, amber coloured Kisi Qvevri wine from Dakishvili Winery
After one final check that our passports were safely in our handbags, we continued our journey back to the capital city and the Mother of Georgia. With the promise of free time to do as we pleased for the evening, I was determined to walk around the beautiful city and get up close to the imposing statue known as Kartlis Deda. Andy agreed to accompany me on a rather strenuous climb up the steep steps of Sololaki hill, unaware at the time that we could have taken a cable car up. It was well worth the trek in the balmy evening air, as the sun had set and the statue and city lit up below us, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful Georgian wine adventure. We conveniently found the cable car to descend and walked through the bright and bustling streets of the city to find our friends who had spent the evening in a very trendy, natural wine bar.
Delighted to have made it up Solaki Hill to meet The Mother of Georgia holding her sword and cup of wine.
A fitting last view over looking Tbilisi lit up at night.
These are the books I've been reading and referring to since the trip:
Lisa Granik MW – The Wines of Georgia. A definitive guide to the wines of Georgia.
John Steinbeck – A Russian Journal. A special travelogue with fascinating photographs by Robert Capa written in 1948 just before the fall of the iron curtain.
Carla Capalbo – Tasting Georgia – A food and wine journey in the Caucasus
Leo Vardiashvili - Hard by a Great Forest by - A fiction novel set in Tblisi written by a Georgian refugee who grew up in the UK.
Watch my interview here with the Georgian Wine agency which was on Georgian television in June!
Check out our fabulous, growing range of Georgian wines here.
Gaumarjos (cheers) to Georgian wine!
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