A lot of people think of orange wines as natural wines, and many would qualify. But not all. Natural wines must adhere to a wide range of imperatives, from how the grapes are farmed to how the wine is made. Orange wines are simply born of specific winemaking techniques

As a longtime (15-ish years) lover of Georgian wines, I crave the oxidized elegance and ancient roots of the country’s often incredible wines. Here are two recent standouts:

Regional Grape Production in Georgia, 2017-2020.
3/4 is grown in the Kakheti region (east of Tbilisi); and Kakheti’s production has almost doubled between 2017 and 2020

Last month, wine professionals in Houston were given the opportunity to taste wines from one of the country of Georgia’s flagship producer, Teliani Valley, over lunch at Concura to learn about the ancestral grapes, the ancient winemaking techniques, and the modern tools which come together to make the classic wines of the Kakheti region. There are 525 grape varieties currently recorded in the country with over 135,000 acres under vine, 72.4% of those vines are located in Kakheti.

On this edition of The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we complete our trilogy on the wines of Georgia! This time, we focus on the central portion of the country. Our guest is Noel Brockett of Georgian Wine House.

A cultural exchange with Georgian winemakers, ANsomigaFORA has helped Romagnoli producers rediscover the region’s native grape varieties through qvevri

For many people, choosing a great wine can be a complex process. A good wine shop will have a seemingly endless number of choices, making it tough for a customer to decide without expert help. After all, a description on a wine bottle can only do so much in terms of capturing the true essence of a wine. For the best results and satisfaction, there’s nothing like curated suggestions from a wine professional.

The secret to a successful holiday doesn’t lie within the exact dishes you serve or wine you pour, per se, but in the lasting ambiance and experience you create. In other words, a holiday is only as good as the sum of its parts and finding that sweet spot between planning the perfect get-together and allowing things to naturally unfold is what will have your guests recounting the holiday for years to come. One of those ‘parts’ is the wine.

Whether you are dining on turkey, ham, or a vegan feast for the Thanksgiving holiday, there is always room for several bottles of wine at the table. And given the current trends for wellness and transparency, organic and other “green-label” wines may be the best choice. But how do you track down wines produced organically, and what do all of the certifications really mean?

Though nearly extinct at the turn of the century, kisi has made a comeback in the past few years, and this wine is a terrific example of what’s driving that interest: Fermented in qvevri for six months, it’s super juicy, brimming with notes of pear and white cherries that get spicier and redder with air. Floral scents add delicacy, but there’s lots of substance here, proven in