Wine in Georgia - a visit to the Kakheti wine region

To FREEDOMtravel

Advertisement

Tasting wine in Georgia is an experience and visiting the wine region of Kakhetia is very interesting. Georgia is often referred to as the 'cradle of wine' and there is a reason for this. Many people consider this small country, with its thousands of years of wine traditions, to be the birthplace of wine.

Tweet

Share

Share

Pin

Share

Share

Wine in Georgia - the cradle of wine

In Georgia, traces of winemaking have been found in jars dating back 8 000 years. Today, wine is still made using an ancient tradition and is an important part of the culture.

During Georgia's time as part of the Soviet Union, production was expanded, but the focus was more on volume than quality. Now the focus has returned to what Georgian winemakers do best: producing quality wine using age-old methods.

Learn more about wine in Georgia - at the Wine Museum in Tbilisi

Even before we left for the wine region of Kakhetia, we learnt about the history of wine at the Wine Museum in Tbilisi. This museum is located in a historic building, which once served as a caravanserai, that is, an inn and hostel for caravans of merchants along the Silk Road. Here we learnt about the ancient wine-making process and drinking traditions, and we even got to taste Georgian wines.

Wine in Georgia - wine regions and grape varieties

There are several wine regions in Georgia, including Kakhetia (Kakheti) is undoubtedly both the best known and most productive. Other regions that make wine include Kartli and Imeretia.

In terms of grapes, there are more than 500 indigenous grape varieties in Georgia, many of which are relatively unknown in the rest of Europe. However, some are becoming more and more famous, such as Rkatsiteli (green grape used to make amber wine) and Saperavi (grape with pink flesh that produces dark red wines).

How wine is made in Georgia - qvevri and amber wine

In Georgia, wine is still made using ancient methods - alongside modern European methods. It is these old, if not ancient, methods that have once again made Georgia more and more interesting as a wine country.

Qvevri method

The old winemaking method uses enormous clay jugs called qvevri which can hold up to 5 000 litres of wine. The grapes are crushed or pressed and the pots are then filled with must, grape skins and stems.

The jars are dug into the ground where they are covered, and the wine is left to ferment for up to 6 months. Once fermentation is complete, the skins sink to the bottom of the vats, and this is then used to make chacha, a domestic spirit similar to grappa.

Amber wine (orange wine)

Perhaps the most famous wine from Georgia is what is known as amber wine, or orange wine. In fact, 'orange wine' may be the most common name, but in English it leads to confusion, as many tourists think it is made from oranges. In Georgia, the preferred term is 'amber wine'.

Amber wine has a darker tone than white wine usually has, and the flavour is harsher and sometimes described as 'oxidative'. We came to like this type of wine, but it has to be said that it is sometimes a little less 'easy drinking' than regular white wine. The flavour is intense, and the wine may need to be paired with food to come into its own, we thought.

How to drink wine in Georgia: supra and tamada

In Georgia, large celebrations are organised called supra. At these parties, large quantities of wine are drunk, and it is white wine that is drunk. We have not been to these parties, but people we met told us that the wine flows and that sometimes there are whole horns to be emptied, in one go.

Why not red wine, we asked. No, "it's too heavy" or "it gives you high blood pressure", we were told. Red wine is also popular in Georgia, but is usually drunk on quieter occasions.

Although large quantities are drunk at parties, drinking is not random. The party is led by a 'tamada', a traditional Georgian toastmaster. This person leads the party and introduces each toast, at which point the toastmaster or someone else in the party is expected to give a short oral presentation.

Kakhetia - Georgia's wine centre

Kakheti, or Kakheti as it may also be spelled, is the wine centre of Georgia. Located in the south-eastern part of Georgia, this wine region produces wine in both traditional and modern styles. Grapes grown here include saperavi, cabernet sauvignon, rkatsiteli and mtsvane.

During our visit to Kakheti, we had time to visit three wineries, as well as look around the main town of Telavi and the smaller town of Sighnagi, which is known as the "City of Love".

Winery in Georgia: Twins Wine House

The first winery we visited is in Napereuli and is called Twins Wine House, a name given to the farm because the owners are twins. We stayed here for one night and when we were here, at the end of October, it was quiet and peaceful. In the summer, we imagine that the combination of visiting the vineyard and swimming in the large outdoor pool attracts many more guests.

Wine has been made on this farm for a long time, and the manager showed us into the old wine cellar, where wine was produced in the past.

He also took us to the farm's wine museum, and this was a big surprise. We have visited several museums in Georgia and this one, located on a farm in the countryside, is one of the nicest and most modern we have seen. The traditional methods of wine production are shown in a very educational way, and we had many aha experiences here. A visit to this museum is highly recommended, even if you are not staying at the hotel.

In the evening we had dinner, and the boss wondered if it was ok that he picked out "a little bit of everything". It was a typical Georgian meal with many different small dishes in the form of bread, cheese, salads, vegetable stir-fries and stews with meat or chicken. Both good and nice!

We also had the chance to taste the wines of the farm. They produce four different types of wine here, both white and red, using traditional Georgian methods. They produce around 250,000 bottles a year, half of which are exported to other countries. It is even possible to find the wines at the Swedish Systembolaget, albeit on order.

Winery in Georgia: Shumi Winery

The next winery we visited was Shumi Winery in Tsinandali. This is a really big winery that produces 3 million bottles of wine a year, and exports to more than 30 different countries. Here they also have a huge exhibition with lots of different grapes, both Georgian and international.

The farm offers a fantastic setting for visitors, with tables and chairs in the large garden and lots of beautiful decorations.

We booked a tasting of two red and two white wines, which included a small snack tray with dried plums and other goodies. During the tasting, we learnt about everything from gold medals to different grape varieties.

Winery in Georgia: Schuchmann Wines

The third winery we visited was Schuchmann Wines in Kisiskhevi. This farm has a long history of wine production, and in 2006 it was taken over by the German Mr Schuchmann. Today, 1.5 million bottles of wine are produced here each year, both in traditional Georgian style and in modern European style.

The farm is nicely located, with a restaurant with a lovely view of the vineyards. It was possible to join a guided vineyard tour, but since we had other plans after the visit, we chose to settle for a wine tasting.

It was an incredibly pleasant wine tasting at Schuchmann Wines. In addition, the wines from this farm became our absolute favourites, and the visit ended with us buying a few bottles of their good amber wine.

Telavi - capital of Kakhetia

Telavi is the capital of the Kakheti wine region. It's home to just under 20,000 people, so it's not a big city, but it's still a hub where you'll find hotels, restaurants, shops and a tourist information centre.

If you want, you can check out the Telavi Fortress, the Telavi Historical Museum, the beautiful balconies on Cholokashvili Street and a 900-year-old cedar tree. In the vicinity of the city there are also various historical monasteries to visit, such as Ikalto Monastery and Old and New Shuamta.

We stayed in a hotel Holiday Inn, which has an excellent location in the centre of Telavi. There are two restaurants in the hotel - a Georgian one downstairs and a European one upstairs. We had dinner in the Georgian one and breakfast in the European one, which turned out to offer an absolutely stunning view from the large windows.

Sighnaghi - City of Love

If you want to make another excursion, we can recommend a visit to Sighnaghi. This small town is one of the smallest in Georgia, with only around 1,500 inhabitants. But even though it's small, it's relatively well visited by tourists. What else would you expect from a town labelled the 'City of Love'?

Sighnaghi is located on a hilltop with beautiful views of the Alazani Valley. Once built as a fortress, there are plenty of historic walls and towers.

Despite its small size, the town has a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafés. There are also many lovely houses with beautiful ornate wooden balconies.

Being in the wine region of Kacheti, it is of course common to enjoy a glass of wine at one of the many cosy restaurants. Or why not a wine-flavoured ice cream?

More to see and do in Georgia

Wine tasting in Georgia is interesting, but there are also many other exciting things to experience in this country. We can recommend visiting the capital Tbilisi, the historic city Mtscheta, mountain area Kazbegi, health resorts Bordzjomi, the cave city Uplistsikhe and in the Black Sea destination Batumi. And of course you want to experience Georgian food!

Have you tried Georgian wine?

Have you tried Georgian wine, or visited the wine region of Kakhetia? Or perhaps you have tried amber (orange) wine from another country? Please tell us about your experiences?

You might also like:

10 facts about gin - plus recipes and tips Non-alcoholic beer - test of 14 different varieties Swedish vineyards - 4 farms with Swedish wine Vineyards in Stellenbosch, South Africa - 4 great places to visit What to eat in Georgia - 15 Georgian dishes and specialities