Last week I had the honor and the pleasure of attending a wine tasting at the Georgian Embassy in Washington, DC. Already a fan of Georgian wines – especially of the robust red Mukuzani and the full-bodied, white Tvishi – I attended the tasting to discern the differences between the wines from the featured vintners from Khaketi and the Teliani Valley.
Georgia has some of the oldest viniculture practices in the west, with a history going back thousands of years before the common era (BCE). The traditional method of fermenting grapes – in beeswax lined clay amphora buried in the ground – is still used by some of the vintners. One vineyard represented at the Embassy that still makes wine this way is Pheasant’s Tears, which brought its Saperavi and Rkatsiteli to the tasting. The traditional method produces wines that are thin by today’s standards, but wines that are intriguing none the less. The Rkatsiteli was a rich amber color and had hints of walnut with a citrus bite and the Saperavi also has a citrus bite, but is richer wine that I found more complex.
From vintners using modern production methods, I sampled an unfiltered Saperavi which was very good, and my favorite Mukuzani – which is a dry red produced from Saperavi grapes. The Teliani vineyard version of this wine that I sampled was fabulous. It had a complex aroma with hints of black pepper and oak, robust plum overtones with a strong, but not overpowering finish. It was the scene stealer for me – along with a delicious Bagrationi extra dry sparkling wine with overtones of quince and melon.
The wine was delicious, but the surprise of the evening for me was the delightful informality of the Georgians present from the Embassy staff and cultural association representatives to the visiting dignitaries and even the caterers. Everyone was friendly, interesting to talk to and eager to share their knowledge of Georgian food and wine with me. The event was more like being an invited guest at a `friend’s family dinner than any other Embassy event I have ever attended. The Georgians spoke to their Ambassador to the U.S. as if to an old friend and addressed him by his first name. The husband of the caterer, Maya of The Georgian Feast, even asked me if I wanted to take some of his wife’s delicious food home with me. Ingrained manners forced me to decline, even though I really wanted some more of her amazing spinach balls with pomegranate seeds. Still, I was charmed by the invitation.
The event was sponsored by the Georgian House of Greater Washington and the wines provided by the Georgian Wine House. The Embassy is leading an effort to educate wine-lovers in the U.S. about the delicious, wide-variety of Georgian wines. I encourage those interested to seek out the wines in your own areas or to order them and experiment with food pairings – hopefully with dishes cooked from The Silk Road Gourmet. (Words by Laura Kelley)