July 2025. Eka and Richard, Taste of Georgia

 

Wines of Georgia - Khakheti Region, East Georgia

PRESENTER: Eka and Richard - Taste of Georgia - www.tasteofgeorgia.co.uk

DATE: 17th July 2025

 Georgia is widely recognised to be cradle of winemaking on earth. There’s evidence that they were making wine here 8000 years ago. Its home to about 400 local varieties and a huge number of Georgians make their own wine. There was some development in the 1800s when the French showed up, but unfortunately, 70 years of the soviet union did a lot of damage. Focus was on quantity, not quality and on a very few grape varieties. Hence even now the range of available wine grape varieties is a bit limited. Something like 75% of the wine is white – primarily the Rkatsiteli grape and 25% Red, Saperavi.

All these wines cone from the Khakheti region of east Georgia

A separate little “problem” is that Georgian wines are made to go with food, so tasting on their own is a little hit & miss

The wines

White:

Wine Man Tsinandali, 2020 Rkatsiteli/Mtsvane 85/15%. 12% £14

Rkatsiteli is the workhorse grape, Mtsvane adds fruit and aroma. Nice

Shumi Kakhuri Mtsvane, 2023 Mtsvane 100% 13%. £15

The Mtsvane is highly aromatic – I rather liked this.

GVino Kisi Qvevri (orange), 2020 2022 Kisi 100% 13%. £22

Qvevri is the ancient technique of making the wine in buried amphora – huge ones. It gives a sort of sherry type feel to the wine. The Kisi grape is quite rare, but increasing, and very low yield.

Iberiuli Rkatsiteli Qvevri (orange), Rkatsiteli 100% 13%. £23

Red

One of the problems here is that Saperavi is THE Georgian red grape right now, so 4 Saperavis.

Wine Man Saperavi, 2023 Saperavi 100% 12%. £14

Saperavi gives a very dark wine, almost black. It’s a grape I rather like.

Shumi Napareuli, 2023 Saperavi 100% 13.5%. £16

Matrobela Mukuzani, 2018 Saperavi 100% 13%. £25

Very tannic. Will it improve at already 7 year old? Not my favourite

Shumi Kindzmarauli, 2023 Saperavi 100% 11.5%. £16

This is a more traditional sweet red. Sounds odd? But don’t dismiss it. In the summer, served chilled, very nice.

A very good evening. Eka is from Georgia and clearly passionate about the wine. And rightly so.