Anyone want to talk wines from Georgia?

Whilst in Medicine Hat this past week I came across some reds from Georgia, stocked at the Coop liquor store. The one that took my attention was a 2010 Tbilvino Saperavi. Quite dry and nicely full-bodied, will look for a TN when I have unpacked.
The other 3 reds all seemed to be medium sweet, from reading back label.

If there were Jewish communities with all the infrastructure that entails, I would relocate in a minute to the warmer climes of the former Soviet Union or its surrounding "Communist bloc" countries. There is no reason why excellent wine could not be produced there, land and labor are positively cheap, water can be plentiful depending upon location, and large blocks of land are available. In the past, culture has dictated the quality of wine to come out of those places, inferior wine by uncaring commie governments. The paradigm is shifting. It's only a matter of time before wines from there, too, begin to flood the markets of North America.

Yup, Bob....I once had a Georgia Smilin'Peach Wine, produced just North of Atlanta. Spoke strongly of peaches
but very/very sweet and pretty dreadful dreck. Ohhhh...probably wrong Georgia.

I've been tasting about every Georgian wine that comes down the pike. Surprisingly good..for (as they say) a Commie country.

Georgia is (supposedly) the birthplace of winemaking. They are the inspiration for folks like Gravner & Radikon in Friuli and
Ryan & Megan Glaab in Forestville. The whites are often made in qvevri, large clay amphora lined w/ beeswax & buried in the
ground. Made in a slight/somewhat oxidative style. But some are made in a conventional style. Lots of indigenous varieties there
in Georgia. The reds can be pretty interesting, never slathered w/ new Fr.oak. Sometimes kinda earthy & rustic.
There's been a lot of Pheasant'sTears wines coming to the US. An Americian is behind its revival. Check out:
http://www.pheasantstears.com/

Tom

I posted a TN on a Georgian Saperavi here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=39427&p=326762&hilit=Georgia#p326762

Some shops around here carry quite a few Georgian wines, but like the one above, they don't look like they come from small, artisanal producers. I think they mostly appeal to immigrants from that part of the world who want a taste of home and do not believe in spending a lot of money on wine. Many sweet reds too. There was one very fetching bottle called something like "Uncle Joe" which was a Stalin commemorative bottle, shaped like the man himself, complete with velveteen flocking. Unfortunately, it was sold out when I went back to pick up a bottle.

Great imput here from everyone so thanks. I think I paid around $22 Cdn but will check.
Joe, your TN is reminiscent of my wine!

I'd love to try a Georgian wine but have never seen one on sale. Normally I'd go to Wine Searcher but with this one legged internet on a crutch which I have at present, it would take an age.....

A member of my wine tasting group (a retired professor) goes on an annual “expedition” to Georgia. When it is his turn to host a wine tasting he has us drinking out of horns and wearing a “wig” if we want to “speak” (discuss the wine), or just give a “toast”.

Salute

Hi Bob -

I've had a few wines from Georgia in the past couple of years or so, although not from the producer whom you mention. I've had some luck with wines from Teilani Valley PLC, and liked some wines that I tasted last year from Telavi Wine Cellars. There are definitely some interesting wines from this country, and I think that the Saperavi grape in particular has a lot of potential.

Most of the primary Georgian grapes do not show up anywhere else, although I have had some good Rkatsiteli from Dr. Konstantin Frank in New York's Finger Lakes region. There is another Finger Lakes winery who makes a Saperavi/Sereksia Chornaya blend, which I have not tried - it was out of stock at that winery when I visited, and would have been expensive enough to make me think twice about buying it.

Fortunately, I have not encountered anything yet with a picture of Stalin on it.

Andrew,

I'm guessing the wine you are thinking of was McGregor's Black Russian? Interesting stuff, but seriously overpriced. The Caucasian grapes that are around the Finger Lakes are a legacy of Dr. Frank's original work in the area. I know a few other wineries that have a few rows of Rkatsiteli or Saperavi, but AFAIK McGregor is the only one besides Dr. Frank doing a separate bottling. A winery of my acquaintance blends their Saperavi into some of their other wines - it seemed to be quite easy to grow. It is said that the Dr. Frank vineyards had all sorts of oddities back in the day, but they have mostly been replaced, except for the Rkatsiteli.

Hi Bob -

I've had a few wines from Georgia in the past couple of years or so, although not from the producer whom you mention. I've had some luck with wines from Teilani Valley PLC, and liked some wines that I tasted last year from Telavi Wine Cellars. There are definitely some interesting wines from this country, and I think that the Saperavi grape in particular has a lot of potential.

Most of the primary Georgian grapes do not show up anywhere else, although I have had some good Rkatsiteli from Dr. Konstantin Frank in New York's Finger Lakes region. There is another Finger Lakes winery who makes a Saperavi/Sereksia Chornaya blend, which I have not tried - it was out of stock at that winery when I visited, and would have been expensive enough to make me think twice about buying it.

Fortunately, I have not encountered anything yet with a picture of Stalin on it.

The Stalin wines were available at a local low-end store until there were some complaints, so wines were heavily discounted!
I am about to open the Tbilvino Tsinandali, a crisp and acidic white I am told. This wine is a blend of Katsiteli and Mtsvane>

"katsiteli wine is often blended with Kakhetian Mtsvane. Rkatsiteli also produces a large range of white wines, from fortified to ice-wines. Principal micro-zones include Kardenakhi, Tibaani, Tsinandali, Gurjaani, Napareuli".

A wine shop in the heart of Georgetown was said to carry a number of wines from Georgia so, ever curious, I trekked on down while visiting Washington this spring and picked up 7 or 8 bottles. Opening one of them when I got home I found it oxidized. Opened another and it too was oxidized. Same story for bottles 3 and 4. Since I was not going to hold on to a bunch of open bottles to bring back to Washington whenever I returned, I sent a message complaining to the shop. The reply was interesting. It said the problem was more with me than with the wines; that the tradition in Georgia is to make wine in amphora that admit oxygen; that what I seemed to regard as an oxidation problem was no problem at all. It went on to say that many Russians and Georgians patronized the shop and that this was the first such complaint they’d had. I wasn’t sure of all this, but the shop said sent they would send my message along to the distributor. To my surprise, the distributor asked for my address so that he could ship me, free, some Georgian wines not made in amphora. The shipment arrived as promised and I’ve opened two bottles. Neither was oxidized. I’m still not sure I believe the “this is normal for Georgia wine story”, but it certainly was nice of the distributor to try making amends.

A wine shop in the heart of Georgetown was said to carry a number of wines from Georgia so, ever curious, I trekked on down while visiting Washington this spring and picked up 7 or 8 bottles. Opening one of them when I got home I found it oxidized. Opened another and it too was oxidized. Same story for bottles 3 and 4. Since I was not going to hold on to a bunch of open bottles to bring back to Washington whenever I returned, I sent a message complaining to the shop. The reply was interesting. It said the problem was more with me than with the wines; that the tradition in Georgia is to make wine in amphora that admit oxygen; that what I seemed to regard as an oxidation problem was no problem at all. It went on to say that many Russians and Georgians patronized the shop and that this was the first such complaint they’d had. I wasn’t sure of all this, but the shop said sent they would send my message along to the distributor. To my surprise, the distributor asked for my address so that he could ship me, free, some Georgian wines not made in amphora. The shipment arrived as promised and I’ve opened two bottles. Neither was oxidized. I’m still not sure I believe the “this is normal for Georgia wine story”, but it certainly was nice of the distributor to try making amends.

Dan, for a time, oxidation was normal in Georgian wines--at least everyone I tasted back in the day. They aren't as extremely oxidized, but every modern-day so-called orange wine that I've tasted has not been to my liking because of serious enough oxidation.

A wine shop in the heart of Georgetown was said to carry a number of wines from Georgia so, ever curious, I trekked on down while visiting Washington this spring and picked up 7 or 8 bottles. Opening one of them when I got home I found it oxidized. Opened another and it too was oxidized. Same story for bottles 3 and 4. Since I was not going to hold on to a bunch of open bottles to bring back to Washington whenever I returned, I sent a message complaining to the shop. The reply was interesting. It said the problem was more with me than with the wines; that the tradition in Georgia is to make wine in amphora that admit oxygen; that what I seemed to regard as an oxidation problem was no problem at all. It went on to say that many Russians and Georgians patronized the shop and that this was the first such complaint they’d had. I wasn’t sure of all this, but the shop said sent they would send my message along to the distributor. To my surprise, the distributor asked for my address so that he could ship me, free, some Georgian wines not made in amphora. The shipment arrived as promised and I’ve opened two bottles. Neither was oxidized. I’m still not sure I believe the “this is normal for Georgia wine story”, but it certainly was nice of the distributor to try making amends.

That's pretty much what you'd expect for many Georgian wines. The oxidation character is the style they
choose to make....like it or love it. But I think that, increasingly, there are more & more Georgian wines made
in a more traditional/reductive/non-oxidized style. This will probably do nothing much but pi$$ off all
their Georgian & Russian customers.
Tom