What's New in Georgian Natural Wine

Notes and recommendations from a tasting of 12 growers and 50 wines

I’m long overdue to revisit Georgia, but a recent tasting in Amsterdam provided an amazing overview of the country’s natural wine scene. Zuiver Wijnen import wines from all over Europe, and they really love Georgia: it’s their third biggest portfolio after France and Italy.

It’s heartening to see more and more young winemakers and new projects springing up - particularly in the westerly regions such as Imereti. Another welcome development is the number of female-lead estates. This isn’t something one takes for granted in a country as patriarchal as Georgia.

Another clear trend is the number of foreigners who visit, fall in love and never leave. And many of them seem to become winemakers!

There’s plenty of grumbling in the industry that the country’s traditional qvevri¹ styles - of which amber wine is undoubtedly the poster child - are of minimal commercial significance. After all, they represent a tiny proportion of the total production, maybe as little as 5%.

I beg to differ. It’s true that the big volumes are semi-sweet wines exported to Russia by the truckload, or identikit white varietal wines tasting of aromatic yeasts and little else. But it was Georgia’s heritage winemaking tradition that put it on the global wine map, not oceans of Alazani Valley or Kindzmarauli.

The other complaint, at least historically, has been the wildly inconsistent quality of Georgia’s artisanal wines. Once word got out that you could sell anything with the word ‘qvevri’ on the label, the market exploded with rustic and sometimes impressively dirty wines.

Times have changed, Georgia’s winemakers have skilled up considerably and the market no longer accepts swamp water as readily as it once did. That said, there is still considerable variability. Choose carefully, especially if you like sampling a wine over multiple days.

This diversity is arguably part of the attraction. I know of few other countries where you can find such a huge variety of styles. Gone are the days when Kakheti’s powerful, tannic ambers dominated. Western Georgia has really opened up, bringing with it not just lighter, fresher styles but also a plethora of previously unknown varietals.

This is very much a country for the wine adventurer. It’s a paradise for lovers of rare grape varieties and heritage styles: unique flavours, textures and aromas abound. For more cautious drinkers, the mainstream producers have become adept at creating sanitised versions of qvevri wines. For the risk takers, step into the world of Georgian natural wines. There will be surprises. Not all of them are good, but some are truly exceptional.

Paying subscribers can read my tasting notes on 12 growers and 45 wines below. If you’re viewing this on the website, quickly navigate to your favourite grower by clicking on the dash links on the lh side of the screen.

You can also scan for the red hearts, which were my faves.