SO YOU SAW IT ON 60 MINTUES
Recently there was a segment on 60 Minutes that mentioned orange wines from Georgia. I will admit I have not watched the segment myself, the only way I know what is on 60 Minutes is when the late day CBS football game is promoting what will be on after or when a customer comes in and mentions a wine related story they saw on the broadcast. So when a customer came and asked about Georgian orange wines because of a segment on the 55-year-old program my first thought was “about time”. In September of this year, I hosted a tasting featuring wines from the country of Georgia. While the event wasn’t a sellout, we had good feedback from those who came, and have seen repeat buys from some of the wines we poured. If you'd like a recap of some of the highlights from that tasting, you can read my follow up blog post.
For a portion of that tasting, I talked about orange wines and how they get their color from the process of fermenting the juice from the white grapes with their skins. This is the process that is used to make red wine (minus a few varieties like Alicante Bouschet which have red juice when pressed) but since the grape skins are of a yellow or green hue, the wines come out as amber or orange. With an uptick in interest in Georgian wines, I thought it would be nice to put together a few wines I would suggest for anyone interested in dipping their toes into the world of Georgian wine.
2021 Dila-O Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane (orange), Kisiskhevi, Georgia. $17.99 per bottle
A 50/50 blend of the two grapes, this wine has a really nice coating mouthfeel. Rich stone fruit leads to a soft tannic profile that brings out green tea characteristics. The drying of the palate leads to more fruit, apples and pears and creates a juicy finish.
2021 Gaioz Sopromadze Wine Cellar 6X Types (orange), Georgia. $30.99 per bottle
A blend of 6 grapes (Tsolikouri Mtsvane, Tsolikouri Melqo, Tsiska Yellow, Tsiska Green, Krakhuna Green and Krakhuna Yellow). Green pear and peaches give an interesting contrast in flavor, the pear is crisp and dry, the peaches rich and fruity. Mid-palate tannins dry up the profile and lead to orange blossom and hints of lemon peel.
2021 Guardians Rkatsiteli, Kakheti, Georgia. $15.99 per bottle
Rkatisteli label honors Lela, one of Georgia's legendary woman warriors. In 1659, Lela, the daughter of a famous warrior, stepped forward to join the effort to liberate Georgia from foreign warlords. The wine has notes of apricot and subtle tropical melon fruit. Light minerality on the mid-palate allows the fruit to open up on your tastebuds more.
2021 Baia’s Wine Tsitska-Tsolikouri, Pirveli Obcha, Georgia. $27.99 per bottle
Made with 30% Tsitska and 70% Tsolikouri, the grapes had 15-days of maceration and was fermented in Qvevri. Tons of rich tropical fruit in this wines reminds me of a caprice sun. Apples, cherries, melon and citrus coats the palate. Soft minerality adds some liveliness, as the wines warms in your glass, more stone fruit characteristics and soft black tea flavors come out. If you’re drinking it while ice cold, enjoy the fruitiness.
2021 Guardians Saperavi, Kakheti, Georgia. $15.99 per bottle
Saperavi label honors Maia who is Georgia’s cross between Mulan and Robin Hood. Maia, fled from a corrupt baron to the woods, where she dressed as a man, stole from him and gave to the poor. The wine is full of rich dark fruit notes and has a “juicy” profile. Black plums, boysenberries and black cherries coat the palate and sink into your tastebuds. Subtle vegetal/stem notes serve as a break from the fruit which brings a balance to the wine. More dark fruit on the finish.