The history of Georgian wines can be traced back 8000 years but the modern Georgian wine industry its fairly young in the grand scheme of the world’s wines. It was only in the 80s when the Georgia opened up to western countries that their wines became influenced by modern techniques.
My guest Lisa Granik, author of Georgia a Winemaking Country, describes the history and the regions of the country. A striking quote from Lisa’s book is - ‘the number of producers increased by double digits in the time writing the book’. This highlights that the country is rapidly changing with a greater global interest in their wines thanks to their unique techniques and grape variety.
Now is a perfect time to learn about the regions in more depth. In this episode we discussed: The major native grapes (did you know there are more than 500 of them?!); the ancient amphoras called Qvevri or Churi, as I discovered while speaking to Lisa: Churi are Qvervri of west Georgia; What Lisa thinks is a great wine for those want to start exploring the country: lastly why Georgian grapes may play a bigger role in the years to come with the warming of the earth.
As promised on the show here are the names of the grapes discussed:

Saperavi produces rich dark red wines suitable for extended aging - Saperavi is one of the essential grapes used in Georgian red wines.

Ojaleshi
Ojaleshi is grown on the mountain slopes above the banks of the Tskhenistskali River, particularly in the Samegrelo region of Western Georgia.
Rkatsiteli
Rkatsiteli is responsible for both high-volume, good value whites, and high-quality examples – especially those fermented on the skins in qvevri. Rkatsiteli grapes have great acidity and good body. It’s produced in both traditional Georgian style and with European vinification methods

Tsolikouri is the white grape of western Georgia. Pronounced tso-li-ko-u-ri, Imereti’s humidity makes it a challenging area for many grapes, but Tsolikouri is relatively thick-skinned which helps it to resist fungal diseases.

For Further information visit:
https://winesgeorgia.com/
https://www.georgianwine.uk/
https://wineriesingeorgia.com/
https://www.winemag.com/2020/11/10/the-wines-of-georgia/
https://www.tasteofgeorgia.co.uk

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