Georgian wine guide plus 17 wines worth seeking out

For at least 8,000 years, wine has played a prominent role in the cultural and economic activities of these ancient lands. It was said that when the nation adopted Christianity as the national religion in the 4^th century, Saint Nino bore a cross made from vine wood.

The ‘buried’ wine

The nation is perhaps best known for its ancient winemaking tradition, which is still being followed by many of its modern winemakers. The earliest archaeological traces of winemaking in Georgia include grape seeds found in what the locals refer to as qvevri (ქვევრი, which literally means ‘buried’).

Scroll down for 17 top-rated Georgian wine tasting notes and scores

Qvevri are clay vessels coated with beeswax inside and lime outside. These egg-shaped pots do not usually have a flat base, thus are buried in the ground to stay upright. By doing this, these vessels naturally maintain a relatively constant temperature during fermentation, just like the contemporary temperature-controlled tanks. Their sizes can vary between 20 to 10,000 litres, according to the official body Wines of Georgia.

Traditionally, crushed grapes are fed into the quevri, then fermented and aged in contact with the stalks and skins. Wines made this way, including reds and ‘whites’ (more in golden or amber colour), tend to pick up a richer and more tannic texture.

This method was recognized by UNESCO as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ in 2013.

Although qvevri wines only account for a small fraction of wines made in Georgia, the ancient method is now adopted and modernised by producers around the world, especially for making orange and natural wines.

Amber champions: Top 30 orange wines

Geography

Georgia is situated south of the High Caucasus range, facing the Black Sea to the west. It borders Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east and Turkey and Armenia to the south.

A third of its land is mountainous, hosting a number of rivers and shielding the country from the cold air of the north. The Black Sea to the west provides increased rainfall and moderates the temperature. The complex topography means Georgia is home to varied microclimates and soil types.

Viticulture

Like many vineyards across Europe, Georgia was hit hard by phylloxera at the end of 19^th century, which devastated half of its vineyards.

However, today the nation still has a wealth of more than 525 recorded indigenous grape varieties, 38 of which are approved for commercial wine planting.

Although international varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are present, the vast majority of wines produced in Georgia are made from indigenous varieties with Rkatsiteli and Saperavi the most widely planted white and red grapes.

Rkatsiteli is high in acid and tends to give refreshing apple and stone fruit flavours.

Saperavi is native to Georgia, literally meaning ‘the place of colour’ and as the name suggests, is capable of making deeply coloured red wines with black fruit and meaty, spiced flavours.

The Russian influence

Throughout the last century, Georgia’s neighbouring countries have been one of the key factors in shaping its wine industry.

During the Soviet Union years from the early 20^th century, massive lands in Georgia were assigned to make wines in large quantities, at the expense of quality, to meet the thirst of the USSR market. Unsurprisingly, vineyard plantings in Georgia dropped sharply after the fall of the USSR in the 1990s.

The Russian market continued to consume 89% of wines produced in Georgia until 2006, when the Kremlin decided to ban all wines from the country, claiming that the public health authorities found heavy metals and pesticides in the Georgian wine exports.

The ban, which was imposed during a series of political disputes between the two countries, forced Georgian producers to improve the quality of their wines, while seeking new markets including Europe, the UK and Greater China.

Though the Russian ban was eventually lifted six years later, in 2013, Russian authorities again warned consumers about a ‘deterioration’ in the quality of Georgian wine when the political tension between the two countries arose.

Georgian Wine Appellations

Georgia has 10 registered wine regions, the principal being Kakheti in the southeast which contains the micro-regions of Telavi and Kvareli and is home to 72.1% of the country’s 55,000ha grape plantings.

In alphabetical orders the 10 appellations are*:

• Adjara
• Apkhazia
• Bolnisi (new in 2020)
• Guria
• Imereti
• Kakheti
• Kartli
• Meskheti
• Racha-Lechkhumi
• Samegrello

(*Source: Wines of Georgia)

See Decanter’s top selection of Georgian wines worth seeking out

You may also like

Jefford On Monday: Georgia – the tasting challengeThe rebirth of Armenian wine, and bottles to tryAmber champions: Top 30 orange winesWhat is orange wine? Ask Decanter