A Guide to Georgian Wine Country

2018 9.05

To “taste wine at its source, you need to visit Georgia, the tiny Caucasian nation that’s been making wine longer than anywhere in the world. Here, tongue-twisting indigenous grapes like rkatsiteli, mtsvane, and saperavi supersede the familiar international varieties, and the most intriguing wines take on an amber hue after mellowing underground in kvevri, beeswax-lined clay vessels…”

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Ksovrelebis Sakalmakhe: House of Trout

2018 8.27

“We had no sooner finished unpacking our Tbilisi lives from the car for a Garikula summer, when our neighbor Zakhar stopped by to welcome us with a firm handshake and a bristly cheek kiss. He sat down and immediately told us about a restaurant he had recently visited in Kavtiskhevi, a neighboring village about 12 kilometers away. He…

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Georgia – a New Frontier in Gastronomic Tourism

2018 8.24

“Earlier this week, the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) announced a new strategy for increasing the number of tourists visiting Georgia to experience the country’s food and wine. Gastronomic tourism, they say, has enormous potential for the country with the world’s oldest unbroken tradition of cultivating wine grapes and the home of the world famous,…

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Why Thinking About Wine Without Borders Is The New Way To Approach Wine

2018 8.21

“The adjective “borderless” evokes images of doctors working tirelessly in conflict-addled regions without concern for political boundaries. So, what is “borderless wine”? That’s the question I posed to Peter Weltman, a San Francisco-based sommelier, author, and global thought leader in wine…”

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4 Orange Wines to Try If You’ve Never Heard of Orange Wine

2018 8.02

The biggest difference you’ll find in orange wines compared to their white wine counterparts is the flavor, as well as body and structure, where they’ll be closer to red wines. Orange wines are often made using very natural processes, which allow for oxidation (among other things), that in turn create sour or funky flavors more…

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Seven Questions About Qvevri You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask

2018 7.25

“Located on the border of Eastern Europe and Asia, Georgia has an astonishing 8,000-year-old winemaking history. Central to the nation’s oenological heritage are its skin-contact qvevri wines, widely consumed by those in Georgia and neighboring countries for millennia. Thanks to a growing worldwide trend of “natural” winemaking, the category’s undisputed OG is now garnering international attention…”

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Georgia on my Mind

2018 7.18

“Qvevri making…’The process is laborious and time consuming. As each layer is added [the qvevri maker] scores the edges of the inner wall of the qvevri, and then simultaneously uses his right shoulder to drive, and his forearm to twist, the clay into the scored area. All the while his left hand is gently pressing…

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Georgia Beyond Tbilisi: Recollections of Roads Less Travelled

2018 7.12

“The name Georgia is said to derive from a Persian word meaning “land of the wolves”. Indeed, the fabled canine is a fitting representation of a country that is the subject of both myth and legend, at once wild and graceful. Its capital, Tbilisi, is a cultural meeting point of vivid tradition and youthful vision,…

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