“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…”