A number of months again, I discovered myself tasting two amber wines from Georgia, each aged in a qvevri: an enormous, egg-shaped clay vessel the Georgians have been burying underground for one thing like 8,000 years. Which, as wine traditions go, makes Bordeaux appear to be a Kickstarter undertaking. A few of these amphorae maintain greater than a thousand liters of wine, sufficient to make you surprise what number of neighbors you’d want to ask over earlier than anybody would discover the availability was working low.
The method isn’t difficult in principle: bury the clay, let grapes ferment and age inside it, and see what emerges. What often emerges is tannic, dry, and more than pleased to park itself subsequent to grilled meat. This time round, we are attempting a duo of reds, together with one comprised of Saperavi, the thick-skinned Georgian grape that lately made a shock cameo in a rosé from upstate New York.
2022 Shida Rustaveli Saperavi Qvevri – Pouring a deep garnet hue into the glass, the nostril is relatively one-dimensional and closely reliant on blackberry, however ultimately loosens as much as current a whiff of moist clay and blueberries. The palate is the place issues get a bit extra fascinating, with plum and black cherry making an introduction earlier than a sly black olive tapenade word slides in to ship a savory streak. It’s a grasp class sparsely: medium physique, tannins, and acidity. Nothing shouts or slouches, however every part hums alongside properly. The earthy end doesn’t drag on, but additionally doesn’t lower itself off mid-sentence. Name it balanced, understated, or settle for that whereas it received’t dominate dinner, it should hold dialog flowing properly. B+ / $28
2021 Sabado Grand Aladasturi Qveri – A light-weight, ruby-colored wine with aromas of blackberries and cherries that unfold slowly, ultimately joined by a contact of roasted plum because it evolves. On the palate, issues settle into steadiness, with Bing cherry and plum stepping ahead once more via medium acidity, carrying the wine right into a lingering, cherry-heavy end. It’s partaking sufficient to drink by itself, however I might think about this is able to complement grilled pork fairly properly. B / $23
2022 Shida Rustaveli Saperavi Qvevri
USD28
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