During the Soviet occupation of Georgia, the communists forced its growers to produce quantity rather than quality, and even under Gorbachev’s more paternalistic anti-alcohol directives, he cut the quantity but also the amounts exported to Russia. Since the mid-1990s, however, Georgia, with an 8,000 year-old history of viniculture, has increased its regional and international profile, now with 525 grape varieties grown on 55,000 hectares under cultivation and 1,100 wine companies licensed to sell commercially, with 93.4 million bottles exported to 53 countries for sales of $238 million.

There are more than 1,000 registered wine producers in Georgia. A majority of them are small, family-owned cellars like Chekura, located in the village of Shashiani in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia.

The playbook for opening a wine bar in San Francisco this summer, apparently: Choose a country that’s not particularly well known for making wine, and go deep. France and Italy are off the table. But Armenia, Mexico, Greece, Georgia – now we’re talking.

Wine comes in a range of colors, styles, and price points. If you’re ready to take a step away from Two Buck Chuck and fruity wine coolers, it can be intimidating to know where to start. Sure you could join a wine club, enlist a wine consultant, or ask for advice at your local wine shop, but it’s also totally manageable to tackle the task on your own – thanks to our comprehensive selection.