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I recently attended a Wines of Georgia Master Class led by Christy Canterbury MW.
The Spectrum of Amber Wines, a.k.a. orange wines, a.k.a. skin contact wines, a.k.a. fascinating wines! Georgia has 8,000 years of winemaking under its belt, with a long history of production in qvevri, giant clay pots that are generally buried underground to create wines of character. Essentially, the grapes are pressed before throwing everything into the qvevri and sealing the vessel for 2 months and beyond. If they’re white grapes, we get a spectrum of amber coloring, their depth depending on time in the qvevri. The wines will have about 10 times more phenolics than classic white wines, so hellooooo, tannins.
Georgian amber wines are savory. They can be made from several native varieties, the most common being Rkatsiteli. Other “well-known” grapes include Mtsvane and Kisi. From regions to varieties, Georgian wines are quite fun to pronounce. For example, the Kakheti region located in the east and home to around 75% of the country’s total production.
Back to the wine. For me, a common thread in Georgian amber wines is apricot everywhere, nuts-nuts-nuts, white flowers, frequently with hints of butterscotch, and tannins ranging from smooth and glossy to tongue-latching. I LOVE these wines in general.
Christy was emphatic about not clumping these sips into the same category as rosé wines. Serving them overly chilled will only overly emphasize their tannins. And, as opposed to an aperitif, most are foodie wines that can bring out the best of salty and spicy bites.
Some of my favorites from the class were:
Tevza Winery Crazy Alive, Kartli 2020
Made from Chinuri. The nose on this wine! Brined apricots, pickles, white flowers and beyond!
Silk Road Wines KhikhVi, Napareuli 2017
Made from Khikhvi. Again, the nose! Apricots with white flowers, caramel and oranges. The grip was great with lemon grass that meets Earl Grey flavors.
Vazisubani Estate 3 Qvevri, Kakheti 2020
Photo Credit: @vazisubani_estate
Made from 40% Rkatsiteli, 30% Mtsvane, 30% Kisi. Butterscotch and orange cream savers in the nose. A spicy, tongue-latching finish.
Marani Satrapezo Mtsvane, Kakheti 2018
Photo Credit: Marani Vineyards.
Made from Mtsvane. An orange peel and pink grapefruit with butterscotch nose. Glossy, round tannins. Sophisticated!
Shout out to WV!
Others I loved in the general tasting:
Apart from amber wines, Georgia has a whole lot of Saperavi 🙂
