“In Leningrad, back in 1990, the Georgian bars were the place to be. While the Berlin Wall was falling, the reality hadn’t really sunk in for most Russians; basic necessities like food and shoes were still hard to come by, and it wasn’t clear at the time if life would get any easier under the new regime. As an American student, I was surprised at the glum mood—except in the Georgian bars, where jazz musicians gathered to jam late at night and eat spicy shashlik, skewers of grilled meat they washed down with tumblers of thick red wine. I’m immediately reminded of that optimism when I walk into Zero Compromise, a wine tasting in Tbilisi devoted to natural wines…”