Georgian Wines

I mentioned Georgian Wine House after the DC Sip & Twit Event and managed to get a couple of people to talk to me about Georgian Wines.

First, a little background: Wine has been made in Georgia for over 7,000 years, there are more than 70 thousand hectares under vine spread across five viniculture regions: Kakheti, Kartli, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and the Black Sea Coast.

Russia has long been the primary importer of Georgian wines, but as relations between the two countries have dissolved, Georgia has begun exporting to other countries.

I talked to Chris Terrell from Terrell Wines and Mamuka Tsereteli from Georgian Wine House about Georgian wines, and specifically, with what wine drinkers new to Georgian wines should start. Their answers were remarkably similar.

According to Terrell, "Teliani Valley is always a safe bet, the Saperavi and Tsolikouri wines, especially current vintages are the best - solid European style wine making, the Teliani Valley Saperavi might remind you of a Southern Italian red, whilst the Tsolikouri has something more cooler climate going on, German/Alsace - definitely something for the Riesling drinker. The best value wines I know are from Mildiani Katsiteli, which is by far my favorite Tsinandali I've tried. From Vinoterra, the Saperavi is killer. More of a Northern Italian style, dark and brooding."

Terrell does add a warning though, "Given Georgia's history with large production for the Soviet market, you have to be careful which wines you try, as there is often a lack of consistency in quality and wine making style across producers."

Tsereteli is more upbeat, but recommends a very similar set of wines, "I would start tasting Teliani Valley wines first: dry white Tsinandali (rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes) or Tsolikouri (Tsolikouri grape), and dry red Saperavi (Saoeravi grape). They are European style wines with no oak content. Another wine from Saperavi grape and no oak aging is Baraka from Eniseli Wines."

After, you've tried this first round, Tsereteli recommends moving on to the next level, "Then I would move to dry red Mukuzani, also Saperavi grapes aged in French Oak for 12 months. Then I would try unfiltered Saperavi, and Saperavi from Vinotera, small producer that combines traditional and European technologies. We also have artisan wines from Pheasant's Tears, white Rkatsiteli (name of the grape), and red Saperavi, both made in Qvevri, clay pots, with the traditional technology. "

Which is something I find very interesting. Traditionally, Georgian winemakers used clay pots, rather than barrels. I wonder how the clay affects the wine? I think it would be an interesting comparison to see how a barrel aged Saperavi compares to a Qvevri aged Saperavi.

Tsereteli talked a little about the aging process using Qvevri, "...but we also have wines produced under the traditional Georgian technology: in clay pots (jars), buried in the ground, called Qvevri. That's where the fermentation takes place, and then after transfer to another pot, the aging takes place. Georgian technology also produces white wines the same way like reds are produced: fermentation with the skin gives traditional Georgian wines amber color and more tannin taste and features."

One of the advantages of Georgian wines is their excellent price point. According to Terrell, "We have created fans of Georgian wine California-wide. The sales are increasing, the price point ranges from retail of $8.99 to $19.99."

Terrell also talked a little about the challenges he faces trying to introduce a wine that is completely unfamiliar to most people, "Marketing support is found in splitting the sample costs, which are large due to the reality that we have a lot of educating to do."

Georgia has a lot of potential to be a new emerging market. These wines are not widely available now (though you can check for availability online, but are becoming more so. As long as the top producers keep making quality wines, I can see the market share for Georgian wines continuing to grow.