In The Media

Wine writers and sommeliers share their enthusiasms for various wines in the coming year, as several celebrate the forgotten grape varietals that are being rediscovered, including the Meskhuri grape in Georgia. Georgian wines and other ancient wine cultures in Lebanon and Israel are further praised for their modern wine industries and longstanding histories of wine production.View article >

Wine Enthusiast’s editors describe the charms and enriching cultures of various regions in Germany, Morocco, France and Australia, including the Kakheti Region in Georgia as a natural wine heaven. Wine Enthusiast celebrates the hospitality of the Kakhetian traditional meals and the complex tastes of their amber wines.

Culture Trip reviews Tbilsi’s best wine bars including both modern establishments and more antique spaces, with all the perfect pairings of traditional Georgian meals and their accompanying rare vintages.

Rapidly evolving technologies and emerging international economies shift the stage for new wine regions to shine. Among Mexico, India, and British Colombia, the Republic of Georgia has a rich past in its wine culture and a bright future ahead in the international markets.

It’s only taken 8000 years, but the world’s oldest wine producing country, Georgia, is finally getting the international recognition it deserves — and there’s no better place to sample some Saperavis and Rkatsitelis than a trip through the capital city of Tbilisi. Georgians are fiercely proud of their nation’s wines, the majority of which are made by small producers from indigenous grapes, many organically, and aged in giant underground clay vessels, called kvevri. 

For travelers interested in cuisine while planning their trip, these cookbooks serve as guidebooks detailing how food and drink culture are so closely bound with history and the land’s unique geography in nations such as Portugal and Georgia.

Wine Enthusiast reviews this month’s top wines, including several unique Georgian traditional-style wines.

Wine Enthusiast offers this exciting holiday guide for how to prepare your Thanksgiving dishes to pair best with orange wines and enrich the palate of your feast.

Traditional Georgian Saperavi wine finds high consumer appeal in China and is thriving in international markets; modern winemakers have begun growing it in regions across the globe.View article >

Experience these exciting alternatives to Europe’s typical tourist destinations, from lush coastal villages in Spain’s Basque region to Georgia’s hospitable “City of Light” Tbilisi.View article >

Forbes explores the stories behind Georgia’s wine history and its unique return to the spotlight in the modern-day wine industry, details how storytelling has been vital in marketing the nation’s 8,000 year-old practice.

Local Georgian winemaker and leader of Georgia’s natural wine movement shares his in-depth knowledge and practice of making traditional Georgian wine, delves into Georgia’s unique history of winemaking.

Young winemaker, artist, and businesswoman Ének Peterson shares her story of moving to Georgia from America to study traditional Georgian winemaking methods and culture and how she founded her own winery.

Enjoy these full-bodied whites for the Autumn season, including rare Georgian winesView article >

Heritage Radio Network invites iconic Georgian winemaker Iago Bitarishvili to answer all questions about qvevri wines and explore the myths around the ancient winemaking methods of qvevri fermentation.View article >

Georgia’s hospitality, rich cultural intersections, and food and wine history welcome visitors while its gorgeous landscape energizes tourists and locals alike.

Modern winemakers are exploring open-air fermentation practices that connect with traditional winemaking techniques from ancient Georgian culture and rely on exposure to the environment to develop the wine’s unique tastes.View article >

Enthusiasm for Georgian wine and its tradition of wine making reaches BostonView article >

Wine aged in clay experiencing a renaissance across the globe today, offers rich benefits of particular textures and flavors.

Wine professionals from the United Kingdom visit, evaluate Georgian wine and culture as unique and distinguished for its history and diversity of grape varieties.

Orange wine’s trendiness continues as wine importers and critics enjoy Georgia’s history and culture preserved in traditional orange wines

Local Philadelphia cafe and bar enjoys traditional Georgian wineView article >

Leading U.K wine merchant introduces wines from Georgia into their portfolio, expresses excitement about nation’s historic wine culture and indigenous grape varieties

South African wine critics enjoy and evaluate traditional Georgian wine, visit local wineriesView article >

Local Georgian mountaineer seeks to bring oncoming tourists to Georgia for its quality and rich culture, founds hospitality group seeking harmony of locals and nature with tourism influxView article >

Fitch Ratings holding annual conference in Georgia in October, bringing together Georgian financial market leaders and experts to share views and challenges in the Georgian market.View article >

Georgia withstands past hurdles and now thrives in their wine trade and popularity abroad, Russia’s 2016 embargo stimulated wine market into a dramatic comebackView article >

New Zealand delegates of wine professionals visit, enjoy Georgian wine culture and history and report on positive steps toward preventing insect damage to grape harvests

Grape harvest in active phase in the Republic of Georgia, over 9,000 tons of grapes have been processed within 24 hours as highest harvest rate in 30 years.

Georgia’s traditional wine making culture and hospitality draws international tourismView article >

Georgian Jews in Israel catapulted to the forefront of Israeli restaurant scene because of their unique food culture and millenia-long history of wine makingView article >

Wine experts select traditional Georgian wines among best under-$30 orange wines

Georgia attracts more tourists than ever due to its rich history, wine culture and optimistic foreign policy changesView article >

Mosmieri (Kakheti, Georgia) “Kakhuri” 2017 ($20, Corus Imports):  Georgian wines seem to be the rage these days, and there are plenty of possible reasons for that.  Consumers are intrigued that archeologists have figured out that wine has been made in that Caucasus-region country for 8,000 years, putting it among the oldest wine producing areas in the world.  The country’s relatively recent liberation from Soviet domination has resulted in a new-found focus on quality wine production, and its re-emergence is likewise a source of interest…

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here in The Chronicle’s Wine Dept. We published a big piece about climate change and Napa Valley last weekend, detailing why some of the valley’s most prominent winemakers believe they may no longer be able to grow Cabernet Sauvignon — that region’s lifeblood — successfully by the 2030s. Wineries like Spottswoode and Larkmead are hedging their bets by planting experimental vineyards with warm-climate grape varieties from Spain, Portugal and Italy like Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo. It’s a radical vision for the future of Napa Valley, and it’s been generating a lot of discussion…View article >

Haley Fortier earns her reputation as an Orange-wine ambassador, many of her favorite wines from the country of GeorgiaView article >

Haley Fortier earns her reputation as an Orange-wine ambassador, many of her favorite wines from the country of Georgia

There are thousands of restaurants in the Bay Area, but as far as I know, only one has the famous Georgian khachapuri. Bevri cranks them out alongside other Georgian specialties and an extensive list of clay pot-fermented wines to pair them with…

Wine exports from Georgia to U.S. growing astronomically in 2019, along with consumer recognition

Georgia invented wine, as far as anyone can tell, with a history stretching back 8,000 years, and the techniques haven’t changed very much since then. Traditional Georgian winemakers still age their wines in large clay vessels called qvevri, which they bury underground. The white wines are fermented with their skins for months, resulting in powerful tannins and a dark amber color. “Orange wine” doesn’t begin to capture it. The grapes are indigenous varieties — Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, Mtsvane — rather than the bland-sounding, internationally recognizable Chardonnay or Merlot. The process is largely preindustrial, done without synthetic chemicals in the vineyard or the winery…

Caleb Leisure is the only American winemaker fermenting his wines in bona fide Georgian qvevri…View article >

Amber wine from Georgia—the country east of the Black Sea, north of Turkey and Armenia—is increasingly available here in Boston. Many of these wines are made in qvevri (pronounced ‘kwev-ree’), buried clay pots that are integral to the country’s 8,000-year-old winemaking tradition. Depending on variables like the length of time that juice and skins spend together in those conical vessels, amber wines can range from delicately textural to intensely earthy.

Get into the skin-contact conversation! Here are two lip-smacking bottles to get you started…

Skin-contact white wines are nothing new, says Adam Knoerzer, a certified sommelier and the Dean of Drinking at Palate Partners School of Wine and Spirits in Lawrenceville.

“It’s not a traditional practice for white wines nowadays, but that’s how it happened way back when in the Republic of Georgia”…

Can an 8,000-year-old method take off in South Africa? The answer lies in Obscura by Charles Back.

It’s fascinating to watch winemaker Zaza Kbilashvili dip a ladle into a massive clay vessel buried underground and extract some amber liquid. He pours it into my glass and I take a sip, then cough appreciatively. I’m finally getting used to the robust, sometimes musty wines of Georgia, where semi-crushed grapes and their pips, stalks, and skins are tipped into massive pots called qvevris and left to ferment naturally up to their necks in soil…

Marco Polo, Alexander Dumas, Anton Chekhov, and John Steinbeck are just a few travelers to Georgia who returned home to write of the country’s stunning beauty, remarkable people, delicious food, and distinctive wines. Until recently, though, few in the U.S. wine trade even knew where Georgia was. Now, and seemingly out of nowhere, Georgia has become a dream destination for many in the trade. 

There’s a lot of ferment in this country whose winemaking tradition has been continuous over 8,000 years. The Georgian wine industry is in a period of rediscovery, renewal, and growth…

Georgia is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of the world. The fermented beverage plays a central role in the famous process of Georgian hospitality, standing as a symbol of friendship. Traveling to unique destinations is truly a blessing. There are places that one can simply imagine in one’s dreams. A recent trip to Tbilisi in Georgia proved this…

“A guest is a gift from God,” the Georgian saying goes—and there’s nobody else who does hospitality quite like Georgians do. Visitors will be toasted repeatedly during one of the country’s famous supras, or feasts, with glasses topped off before they’re even close to empty, dishes appearing on the table long past the point when anyone’s still hungry. Here, hospitality is simply a way of life.

But it’s not the only way of life Georgians know. Its capital, Tbilisi, is infamously one of the most war-torn the world has ever seen, conquered and retaken, captured and reconquered in an ever-repeating loop over 18 centuries. You’ll know why just by looking at a map: It rests in the center of continents, trade routes, and empires. Perhaps its geographic misfortune helped fuel that hospitality, along with a true appreciation of family, friends, and the finer things—namely good food and wine, and plenty of chacha, or Georgian pomace brandy…

Georgian wine producers committed to preserving their traditional integrity and longevityView article >

Georgian wine tasting in the main cities of the US, New York, Chicago, and Boston went off excellently. The event was accompanied by a seminar on the traditions and the history of the Georgian winemaking. The day was presided by a world-famous sommelier Taylor Parson. The organizer of the event was the company “Marq Energie Consulting’’ financially supported by the National Wine Agency of Georgia.

Georgian wine tasting aimed at popularizing the local wine in the US. It should be noted that there is a rapid increase in wine exports to the US. According to the statistics, there were 354 000 bottles of wine exported to the US over the 6 months of 2019, which is 90% higher compared to the point of the corresponding period in the previous year…

From Italy to Oregon, the use of clay pots in fermentation and aging is gaining devotees

Clay vessels have been used to ferment and age wine since ancient times. Neolithic Age wine vessels recently found in the Republic of Georgia were tested and confirmed to be the world’s oldest. “Almost every ancient culture, from the Canaanites to the Egyptians to the Assyrians to the Greeks and Romans, vinified in pottery vessels,” says Patrick McGovern, Ph. D., the scientific director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. His team conducted the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry testing that confirmed the age of the Georgian vessels.

While clay pots are an uncontested link to the past, they are also becoming a resource for the future of winemaking. Beyond the romanticism involved in borrowing ancient techniques, terra-cotta pots offer unique interactive properties with wine—they pull out acidity, allow oxygen exchange, and provide superior insulation, among other benefits—that are different from those of stainless steel, wood barrels, or concrete. These factors are capturing the attention of winemakers around the world and encouraging new scholarship…

Earlier this month, relations between Georgia and Russia hit a new low point following the protests in Tbilisi triggered by the visit to the city of a Russian communist MP, Sergey Gavrilov. For many people, seeing a Russian MP sitting in the chair normally occupied by the speaker of Georgia’s parliament was an unacceptable provocation, to which the Georgian government turned a blind eye. Gavrilov had to leave the country earlier than planned, and Moscow classified anti-Russian statements expressed during the protests as radical Russophobia, mostly to use is as pretext for declaring Georgia as a dangerous country for Russian visitors. Based on this claim, Vladimir Putin banned Russian airlines from flying to Georgia for an indefinite period…

Laurent Vernhes, Tablet’s co-founder and CEO, recently visited the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where he discovered unique wines, incredible mountains, and a country that is finally getting the attention it deserves…

New York, NY / July 12, 2019: The National Wine Agency of the country of Georgia, a division of the Ministry of Agriculture, released half-yearly 2019 export figures which reflect continued dramatic market growth in the U.S. The U.S. is now the 10^th largest Georgian export market (+88% YOY). This increase follows a three-year average growth surge of 54% year on year.

“This growth can be attributed three variables,” reported Julie Peterson, Managing Partner of Marq Wine Group, which has been leading strategy for the region over the last four years. “Wine professionals have discovered that wines made from indigenous Georgian varietals reflect a deep sense of ‘place’ and are now introducing them to American consumers at increasing rates. In addition, there is growing interest in natural wines and because of the Georgian winemakers are stilling practicing their ancient tradition, they stand at the epicenter of this movement. Finally, the ‘amber’ or skin contact wine category which emerged a few years ago continues to build exponentially.

New York City based sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, MS of Racines NY says: “Low-intervention wines – which often encompass natural, organic, and biodynamic practices – are a growing movement, for which traditionally-made Georgian wines are one of the most remarkable examples: not because of anything new they are doing, but because they have been making wines this way for 8,000 years.”

The small country of Georgia – located about 1000 km due east of Rome and slightly larger than West Virginia – has a millennia-old home-winemaking tradition. Bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and The Black Sea, Georgia is at a literal geographic crossroads and was on the historic Silk Route. While this location contributed to the country’s rich artistic, culinary, religious, and cultural tapestry, it also invited invasion after invasion. The continual outside influence solidified a strong Georgian identity, as well as created a home winemaking tradition. Today, there are more than 100,000 registered home wineries in this tiny country, as well as 500 registered wine companies. There are a staggering 525 grape varieties currently recorded, with 45 in current commercial production. Fifty-thousand hectares are planted to vine across ten official wine regions.

About the Wines of Georgia

Home to more than 525 indigenous grape varieties, Georgia’s wine industry has been transformed from a home cottage industry into an artisanal powerhouse, with winemakers producing some of the world’s most unique and distinctive fine wines using both qvevri and European winemaking methods.

The location of the origin of wine has been determined to be in Georgia and dated during the Neolithic period. In 2016 in southwest Georgia, archaeologists discovered clay vessels containing cultivated grape seeds that were dated to 6000 BC using archaeological, archaeobotanical, climatic, and chemical methods. The results were published in an article, Early Neolithic wine of Georgia in the South Caucasus in November 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences.

Continually, since the 6^th century BC, Georgians have made wine in qvevris, giant clay vessels lined with beeswax and buried underground to keep temperatures constant. Winemakers ferment the juice in these vessels, simultaneously allowing the grape skins to macerate with the juice, which turn what many American consumers expect to be white wines into an amber color, and adding tannin to both the resultant amber and red wines. (European vintners ferment red grapes along with their skins and stems to lend them color and tannins, but omit them when making white wine.)

Qvevris are still made by hand by one of Georgia’s five “master” qvevri-making families; there is an ever-increasing demand for wine produced in this tradition, both in Georgia and around the world. This tradition of winemaking defines the lifestyle of families and local communities and forms an inseparable part of their cultural identity and inheritance. In 2013, the United Nations added qvevri winemaking to the UNESCO list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

The National Wine Agency of Georgia is tasked to preserve the country’s qvevri winemaking tradition, control the quality of all Georgian wines, and promote these wines globally.

“Amber wine” is the preferred term for skin-contact wines from the Republic of Georgia, where the technique is said to have originated. The traditional method of winemaking used in the region is to let indigenous white grapes like Rkatsiteli and Tsolikouri ferment on their skins undisturbed in clay vessels called qvevri…

Georgian wine, one of the major parts of the ancient culture of Georgia, has yet another time moved beyond the borders of its homeland. This time, it has been introduced to wider audiences in the USA, in the cities of New York, Chicago and Boston in particular…

They’re now joining forces at LaLou, a breezy space that Campanale says he wanted to create as “a place that was casual but also where you can get a thoughtfully chosen glass of wine.” Campanale is known for exactly, and along with partner Dave Foss, who he met working at Anfora, they have put together a wine selection mainly sourced from European countries. Spain, Italy, France, Georgia, and Austria all make appearances, but there are some American options, too…

All eyes have turned to the Republic of Georgia. In March, Newsweek crowned the country Europe’s “new cultural hub,” and the New York Times included Batumi, Georgia’s third-largest city, on its 52 Places to Go in 2019 list. In a feature for The New Yorker, Lauren Collins observed that Georgian food is “the next big thing,” citing a hospitality trend report declaring it 2019’s “Cuisine of the Year.” Georgian wine is becoming a cellar staple, with imports to the United States growing 54% in 2017 from the prior year…

Here’s one way to discover Rome: Take guided tours of its architectural wonders, learning their history and marveling at their majesty. And here’s another way: Start walking until you’re lost, wandering neighborhoods where tourists never venture. Both ways are valid, depending on the experience you seek.

By the same token, there’s no question that a rigorous wine education starts with the study of the six noble grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling. They do, after all, make up the majority of the world’s most renowned wines. But there’s also no question, at least in my mind, that a whole other kind of understanding of wine comes from exploring the varieties that are unique to the more obscure corners of the world…

Did you know that wine-making is an integral part of the Georgian culture? If you are a wine lover, you must have come across the phrase “Georgian wine” this has become a known brand across the world. The fact is once you step in your feet in this beautiful country, you just have to visit the local wineries to have a taste. The best wineries in Georgia are located in different parts of the country – Château Lilo, Tbilisi, Chateau Zegaani, Zegaani village, Chateau Mere, Telavi, Winemaking company Wine Man, Tbilisi, Telavi Wine Cellar, Khareba Winery, Kvareli, Shumi Winery, Tsinandali village and these are just a few mentioned out of many that exist in the country…

This Financial District wine bar has a great concept: every four months, they shift to a new region’s wines, spirits, and foods. So you may pop in for a glass and a bite to eat and find they’re showcasing the wine and food of the Republic of Georgia or the Alps or the Italian region of Abruzzo. It’s always a surprise and it’s always fantastic…

Biomolecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, speculates people in Armenia and Georgia experimented with vinification — the fermentation process that turns grape juice into wine — as early as 7,400 years ago. Remnants of terebinth tree resin, which was used as an early wine preservative, were found on pottery shards in the region. McGovern believes that winemaking may date back even further than archaeological evidence reveals, perhaps even as far back as the Paleolithic era…

The term orange wine was coined only a few decades ago, when producers such as Josko Gravner, the late Stanko Radikon and Aleš Kristan?i? gained recognition for using the skin-contact method in the Friuli region of Italy and Slovenia.

The technique actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient Caucasus. In the area now known as the country of Georgia, people made white wines in much the same way and buried them in clay vessels called qvevri. Some modern Georgian producers as well as Mr. Gravner in Fruili do so today.

If I said the words “Georgian wine” to most folks, even regular wine drinkers, I’d likely get quizzical looks as they conjured images of chardonnay or zinfandel made in a state better known for peanuts, barbecue and Dawgs than fine wines.

Well, wine is made in the northern mountain climes of the Peach State, but the wines I’m referring to are from the country of Georgia, a former Soviet state located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. While a select few American wine lovers have ever tasted the wines of the region, it has become a darling of the wine cognoscenti in recent years…

• Americans may be shopping for their Chardonnay increasingly online, but the bricks-and-mortar wine shop still has its place, say professionals in the field.That is because selling wine often means demystifying wine, and it is a process that can be best served by face-to-face interaction with the consumer, said Lorena Ascencios, wine buyer for Astor Wines and Spirits, a prominent retailer in New York…View article >

What are the wines that changed the way we drink? We know what it means for a wine to taste great, but what does it take to truly change the landscape of wine? Food & Wine Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle takes a look at some of the world’s influential wines—ones that completely changed winemaking technique, heralded the birth of new regions or caught the zeitgeist of the times…

Some of the oldest wine-making regions are centered around a handful of countries in the Asia and the Middle East. Persia, and its ancient city of Shiraz, has long been considered the epic center of winemaking dating back to approximately 2,500 B.C. Wine production in Georgia and Armenia also dates back centuries…

Enlightenment Wines Meadery welcomes you for a taste of Georgia with Darra Goldstein, author of “The Georgian Feast.” Chef Tara Norvell will be preparing a handful of Georgian dishes to welcome spring. There will be special mead and Georgian wine pairings available for purchase at the bar…

Before long, our stomachs start to rumble for the next big thing. Right now, that is Georgian food. The hospitality-trend forecaster af&co. recently named it “Cuisine of the Year.” The “Dish of the Year,” the company says, is khachapuri, a term that refers to any number of Georgian cheese-filled breads. (The 2018 winners were Israeli food and rotisserie chicken.) As the trend report noted, khachapuri is photogenic…

If you’re ever so lucky to make it to Georgia, that land sandwiched between the mighty Caucasus, the Black and Caspian seas, Russia and Turkey, it may take you a week to hear that joke but only a day to believe it…

Perhaps the best part of globalization, at least for wine enthusiasts, is the increasing availability of bottles from places like the Republic of Georgia. The Marani Friends Wine Mtsvane Kakheti 2016 ($16) is one of those wines I could smell for days without sipping…

Known as the “cradle of wine,” Georgia’s winemaking heritage traces as far back as 6,000 B.C.E. Indigenous varietals like Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane are making waves in natural wine bars stateside, but it’s the nation’s skin-contact orange wines, made using traditional Qvevri, that will really appeal to wine geeks. The country’s best oenotourism takes place in Kakheti, home to such wineries as the Alaverdi Monastery and biodynamic Ruispiri. No visit to the Caucasus nation is complete without a stay in the capital Tbilisi, though. While you’re there, be sure to eat your weight in khachapuri, the region’s delicious, decadent cheese bread — another ancient delicacy many trend-seeking Americans are embracing…View article >

The FINANCIAL – Khvanchkara is possibly one of the most renowned and best-quality wines in Georgia. Khvanchkara wine draws its name from the village in which it is produced, situated in the Ambrolauri region of Racha, on the right bank of the river Rioni, and protected by high cliffs. This ancient winery can show any tourist that the region of Racha has much more to offer than just its mountains and amazing nature…

As it turns out, there is a huge overlap in the Venn diagram of people obsessed with wine and people obsessed with “Game of Thrones.” This shouldn’t really come as a surprise: We’re all nerds, after all. Some of us spend an entire paycheck on a rare bottle of Loire Cabernet Franc. Others spend that same money on a fur-lined cloak and plane ticket to a fantasy convention in San Diego. We all love to argue about really, really esoteric details, like whether the schist or limestone soils of St.-Chinian produce more expressive wines, or if it’s possible that Mr. Three-Eyed Raven himself, Brandon Stark, is actually the Night King (!!!) and the one who got us into this mess…

Tucked between the Black and Caspian Seas and in the shadow of Europe’s highest mountains you’ll find Georgia—a tiny country with an astounding culinary heritage and a winemaking tradition tracing back eight millennia. We’ll be delving into this appetizing wonderland as spring bursts on the scene in all its seasonal glory—perhaps the most inspiring time of the year…

“Orange wine has been around for centuries — it’s been produced in the republic of Georgia for thousands of years, and more recently made in Italy, Slovenia, and even Long Island, NY. It’s been sneaking its way into the menus of trendy restaurants and wine bars for the past couple years but never really had its true moment to glory. Summer 2018 (let’s be honest, summer 2017 and probably 2016, too) was all about that cheerful pink glass of rosé (or even frosé). But it’s official: Orange wine as the go-to drink of this summer. The time has come, the walrus said.”

WHEN AND WHERE were the first grapes cultivated, pressed, fermented and imbibed? Of the many contenders for that distinction, the following six places are consistently among the most frequently cited. Whether any of these is the true birthplace of winemaking—newly unearthed evidence perpetually upends our understanding of vinous history—we must judge the wines made there now as we would any other, on present merits. The bottles listed here, all notable examples of the countries’ respective styles and winemaking traditions, more than hold their own in terms of quality alongside wines from regions far more widely celebrated…

A fifth wine engaged me in a tug of war for three days, but the importer has apparently gone out of business, so I don’t include it here. But I’ll remind you of two of my favorite wines from Georgia: Baia’s Wine Tsolikouri 2017 and Dila-O Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane Dry Amber Wine 2017 (I raved about the 2016s of each late last year) are available at Batch 13 and Potomac Wine & Spirits, among other stores and restaurants in the District…

Zurab Chkadua was acting as the tamada, the toastmaster, for a traditional Georgian supra at his house in Lakhamula village in the Svaneti region of northwestern Georgia. The job is sort of like being both a pastor and a quarterback for a dinner party. He had just instructed us to raise our glasses and give thanks. “To our guests at the table,” he said, as we downed ample portions of amber wine in a single go. “We must also be grateful for this treasure God has given us.” He meant the cheese, which his wife, Ira Ansiani, makes in her kitchen, about 10 feet from where we were sitting…

Georgian bakers typically achieve this cheese-filled flatbread’s light and airy texture using a simple, unleavened dough that is stretched paper-thin, then layered with melted butter like strudel or phyllo. But according to Carla Capalbo, from whose book, Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus, this recipe was adapted, a ready-made, all-butter puff pastry is a quick and toothsome substitute. To approximate the texture and flavor of the local Georgian cheese, a mixture of mozzarella, feta, and Emmental or Jarlsberg is used…

Today, though large pots for fermenting wine are made in Italy, the Republic of Georgia, and even Oregon, the art has been lost in Portugal. “You go sleuthing [for talhas] down in the local villages, literally knocking on people’s doors, because they are a vestige of the past,” says Evan Goldstein, a Master Sommelier and president of Full Circle Wine Solutions, which represents Alentejo in the U.S…

About a decade ago, Noel Brockett got an education in a subject he never thought he’d study: How to give a toast. It turns out, there’s a lot more to it than raising a glass and calling out “cheers” — especially for a tamada, or toastmaster responsible for leading traditional Georgian feasts, also known as supras. “It’s not as easy as it may look,” Brockett said…

“It’s made in the contemporary European style, a rich ruby juice ripe with notes of blackberry, good acidity, and a relatively modest alcohol level (12.5 percent) that makes it versatile with food. It also has a spicy oak finish that pairs well with a platter of kebabs, meaty khinkali soup dumplings, game meats, and spicier dishes like beef ostri stew or rustic kharcho soup…”

The Georgian man was already deep into his chacha brandy by the time he sashayed through the disco-lit shadows of the dining room at Georgian Bakery & Cafe. With shot glass in hand, he sidled up to the table of an Armenian pal and gave a speech toasting the friendship and solidarity of the former Soviet republics. They clinked glasses, linked drinking arms, and downed their shots just as the band kicked in with a Georgian-language version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and a steamy plate of huge khinkali dumplings landed on our table…

No doubt, the truly astute adventure traveller has already started devising their 2019 travel itinerary. Especially appealing for that particular connoisseur of fine wine and high-brow culture this year is the Republic of Georgia. Not only Tbilisi and Batumi, which are already on avant travelers’ radar, but also Tsinandali, long revered as the cradle of viticulture…

Georgian cuisine is unique in so many ways — for its love of walnuts, beans and plums; for its mastery of boat-shaped breads; for its status as one of the world’s most ancient producers of wine. Georgians also have a special cheese culture, and sulguni is at its melty, all-purpose heart. Sulguni is a semi-firm fat disk of brined cheese similar in look and texture to low-moisture mozzarella. It can be made of cow or buffalo’s milk, or a mix of the two, and can also be aged or intensely smoked…

A few years back, some folks came to the Twin Cities hawking wines from Georgia (the republic, not the state). The wines were, by and large, forgettable if not lamentable. Not anymore…

The results of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s 30th Annual Restaurant Poll show a wine market in flux, pulled toward high-end tasting menus, value-priced Burgundy, natural wine debates and half-glass pours. This year’s Poll showed that number has nearly doubled, to 143, with bottles of Georgian rkatsiteli and Piemontese timorasso earning sufficient mentions to rise onto the Most Popular wines listings…

The former Soviet state of Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of winemaking. But as it aims to boost exports around the world, will its unique wines be too challenging for most drinkers? I am following two men into a dark cellar that feels more like a tomb than part of a winery. Buried underground are a number of qvevri – large lemon-shaped clay pots full of grape juice slowly fermenting into wine. Each of the containers holds 2,000 litres of juice, which is added together with the grape skin and seeds, and left for six months. It is an ancient form of winemaking that historians say was first used in Georgia in at least 5,980 BC. This makes the former Soviet state, located in the Caucasus region south of Russia, the world’s oldest wine-producing country…

The wine industry is shaping up to be more transparent and international than ever in 2019. Consumers want more local, sustainably sourced wines, but at the same time they are expanding their palates to newcomers on the market from places like Bulgaria, Hungary, and Georgia…

In May of last year, I went on vacation to the Republic of Georgia. Most people are surprised when I use “vacation” to describe my time there, but for me and, for a lot of people, it’s a bit of a fantasy world. Between the breathtaking beauty, geographic diversity, outdoor activities, history, gregarious and caring people, and delicious and unique cuisine, it has it all — in a one-of-a-kind way…View article >

Giorgi Natenadze’s vines in southern Georgia are true wild vines, many of which climb up trees and have survived invading armies. Covering approximately 2,476 square miles, the vines take two months to harvest. In conjunction with the Scientific Research Center at the Ministry of Agriculture in Georgia, Natenadze has been credited with the discovery and identification of 24 grape varieties, though 16 others cultivated here remain unidentified. —Mike DeSimone…View article >

Georgia is a stunning, but little-known country with one of the oldest wine making traditions and a cuisine that is vibrant and varied by region. Food writer and photojournalist, Carla Capalbo, takes us on a culinary and cultural journey in “Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus…

“Georgians have been making natural, biodynamic wine decades before it became a trend. Her wine is an exemplary wine that balances tradition with new-age approachability,” says Steiner, who herself is an alum of the Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 Food and Drink list. “Its bouquet bursts with thyme and soft herbs and it drinks with a savoriness and salinity perfect for the food at Himitsu. The wine is self-contained umami…”

Forget ladies’ night. If you want to have a drink in support of women and to celebrate Women’s History Month with wine this March, start by drinking quality bottlings made by female winemakers. From wine tastings and paired dinners to monthly showcases and annual special menus, these venues put female-made selections front and center…View article >

We have a wine bar in Vera. Its name is Sulico. Wine bars are a relatively new trend in Georgia and about the greatest thing to happen since the invention of the kvevri. And while it is nice to walk into a well-stocked place with a homey, original setting, a good wine bar must know what it is pouring. If it also dishes up enticing eats, consider yourself in paradise on earth…

An Amber wine that has been aging in a qvevri for 11 years? Color me intrigued!

While perusing the shelves at The Wine Bottega, I found the 2004 Shavnabada Mtsvane, a Georgian wine which had been matured in a qvevri for 11 years. As a huge fan of Georgian wines, including their fascinating qvevri wines, I had to purchase this unique wine. I wanted to experience a wine of this age, to better understand the longterm effect of the qvevri maturation and extended skin contact. It intrigued me on an intellectual level but also ignited my vinous passion…

Orange wine is the biggest thing in wine these days, replacing rosé in the hearts of hipsters and wine aficionados…Far from being a new fad, skin-contact wine is the oldest recorded winemaking process in the world, dating back some 8,000 years…Orange wines date originated Georgia, the mountainous Eastern European country that’s been making wine for millennia…”

Famous for flavorful spices complementing fresh ingredients, the traditional dishes of Georgia and Armenia are the perfect entree into the culture of this undersung region, and an immersive culinary tour may be your best option for exploring new territory in delicious style…

When you think of the Republic of Georgia, your mind might automatically go to natural wines and vast vineyards, the trendy capital of Tbilisi, and foods like dumplings and khachapuri. Though these are all musts for any first-time (or—who are we kidding?—all visitors), you might yearn for more under-the-radar adventures. Georgia is about expecting the unexpected; from remnants of the Soviet era, to unsurpassed views, to just plain kitschy, we recommend you seek out these offbeat experiences…

American artist John Wurdeman is recognized around the world for his paintings and his influential Georgian natural winery, Pheasant’s Tears. His story winds back to when he was 16 years old and became enamored with the region’s polyphonic folk songs. After studying art in Moscow, he came to Georgia. Now, he promotes ancient Georgian wine tirelessly through the winery and his local restaurants, along with his wife, Ketevan Mindorashvili, who is a polyphonic musician and chef, as well as winemaker and business partner Gela Patalishvili.

Georgia sits in the middle of the ancient spice route between Europe and the Middle East and Asia, so the country’s dishes are imbued with an incredibly rich and unique use of herbs & spices, like cilantro and dried marigold, that are used in combinations not seen in the other individual regions and are layered for bold, but balanced dishes. And the pinch-hitter of those dishes is khachapuri, a boat-shaped pastry filled with a glorious amount of melted cheese and a raw egg. It’s so popular that the country’s trying to trademark it so places like Panera don’t steal it when they realize HOW MUCH BETTER THE BREAD BOWL CAN BE…

Tbilisi, Georgia’s charming capital, has been flooded with tourists over the past decade. But Batumi, a hushed seaside city where verdant mountains slope down to the Black Sea’s smooth stone beaches, offers a different experience. Already a popular escape for Russians, Iranians, Turks and Israelis, the city is preparing itself for its inevitable discovery by the rest of the world: New hotels — including the Le Meridien Batumi and a Batumi installment of the design-centric boutique Rooms Hotel line — are rising, and a cable car will swing straight to the coast from the hilltop Batumi Botanical Garden. Winemaking is another draw — at the family-run BQ Wine Bar and the underground Karalashvili’s Wine Cellar, which pours the same rosé and amber-hued chkaveri varietals that Joseph Stalin adored. DEBRA KAMIN…

“Wines from Georgia are probably inspiring the most excitement for a variety of reasons. First there’s the history, which has a mesmerizing frisson of danger: in the last century, the country’s 8000 year long wine culture was threatened due to the success of two high-yielding grapes, Rkatsiteli and Saperavi. Their success meant that many of the estimated 1500 varieties under vine a century ago were removed, explains LA sommelier and Georgian wine nut (previously of Spago and Mazzo Restaurant Group, now a consultant at Whole Cluster Beverage and Hospitality and GM of République) Taylor Parsons…”

When René Redzepi, Carlo Petrini, and Yotam Ottolenghi rave in unison about a cookbook, it’s probably worth paying attention to. Enter Tasting Georgia by Carla Capalbo, an anthology of recipes, travel tips, and essays that bring the far-flung Caucasian nation into your kitchen and demystify its distinctive cuisine. Flip through Tasting Georgia’s 463 pages, and you’ll be transported to a place where walnut-thickened stews burble over low fires, glasses of amber wines splosh with resounding cries of Gaumarjos!, and polyphonic harmonies worthy of Carnegie Hall ring out at everyday dinners. Such is the magic of Georgia, one of the most fascinating—and mouth-watering—places on earth. ….

The Crazy Pomegranate, Georgia, is situated in the vineyard of a cult Georgian wine producer…

Rkatsiteli is grown in the eastern United States, but its homeland is Georgia, the nation in the Caucasus region that lays claim to being the birthplace of wine. This Dila-O is blended with mtsvane, another native Georgian grape, and is an “amber” wine, fermented on its skins in the traditional style that is enjoying a new vogue, and aged underground in clay qvevri. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent.