Georgia is an ancient country that has been a melting pot of different cultures for centuries. It also rumoured to be the birthplace of winegrowing from somewhat 8000 years ago. Additionally, scientist believe that the word ‘wine’ may have come from the Georgian word for wine, which is Gvino. At the very least, it’s safe to say that Georgia’s history has greatly shaped the wine as we know it. Even more excitingly for us is that the winemaking techniques in Georgia have stayed relatively rudimentary and while the rest of the world started adding chemicals to wine, adding sulphur, farming with machines etc Georgia did not. This is why, in that natural wine community, Georgia is considered very highly.
The 2018 Gaioz field blend is aged in Qveri, an underground ceramic egg, according to old Georgian Tradition. The grapes are hand-picked and the wine is stabilised naturally without fining, filtering or any chemical additions. In some cases, you will find a small amount of sediment in the bottle and that is completely normal. This is an immensely savoury wine and although you will find notes of strawberries & rich, plump fruit, it also has an incredibly dry and almost smoky edge. If you have not tried Georgian wine before the taste may come as a shock but these flavours will grow on you especially if you were to pair it with some charcuterie and a bowl of olives. A perfect autumn food wine! – Mr West