The Republic of Georgia

90 Zurab Gvaladze $32 Zurab Gvaladze Imereti Tsolikouri Pet Nat

Gold shading to light saffron in color, this brings on the sensation of an orange-zest-studded brioche when first sniffed. When sipped, it’s a medium-sweet bubbly with a creaminess in texture, as well as taste, revealing flavors of cherimoya, golden raspberry, and some spicy quince, all cleaned up by fresh acidity. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

88 Dakishvili $32 Dakishvili 2022 Kakheti Petillant Naturel Kisi

Not much to think about, just easy enjoyment in a slightly honeyed, yellow-apple and sweet-lemon fizzy. A bit off-dry, this will benefit from a solid chill and whatever salty snacks you have on hand. —J.R. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

93 Chona's Marani $27 Chona's Marani 2021 Tsinandali Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli

Genuinely exciting, this amber wine had our tasting panel enthused by its complex array of fruit and spice: apricot, orange marmalade, saffron, Masala curry and a shoyu-like umami note. Tasters also commented on its mouthwatering juiciness and precise, controlled tannin. “These are winemakers who know what they’re doing,” said May Matta-Alia. Decant and pour with a saffron-scented paella Valenciana. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

92 Nine Oaks $30 Nine Oaks 2019 Kakheti Kisi

When a wine provokes firm, opposite reactions from a panel of knowledgeable tasters, it’s worth taking note. One point of agreement was that oxygen did something to the wine – whether oxidative (positive) or oxidized (negative). This critic took the optimistic view, as the wine reminded me of a dry Rivesaltes ambré, a historic fortified wine from the south of France, that typically offers roast-nut and dried-orange-peel flavors, notes of aromatic herbs and a hint of rancio. In contrast, Lisa Granik, MW, the Anglo-world’s leading expert on Georgian wine, was firm in her belief that the wine was oxidized beyond repair. Tasting a day after opening, the rancio/umami qualities picked up; so, too did the bitter orange notes, all livened by fresh acidity. What can I say? I just dig it. Uva Imports, Atlanta, GA

91 Chona's Marani $27 Chona's Marani 2021 Tsinandali Mtsvane

Really delicious, here’s a wine with a resinous texture, and notes of grilled pineapple and dried stone fruits on the nose. It delivers lively tropical fruit flavors, along with roast pecan and sweet spice–all in a frame of present yet forgiving tannin. After a day of air, all those aspects meet a little mousiness. Drink up with pork and pineapple kebabs. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

91 Orgo $30 Orgo 2020 Kakheti Kisi

If your palate’s feeling the blues, this engaging wine should pick you up with its perfume of spicy oranges and peppery olive oil. And it continues to deliver in its flavors of cinnamon-dusted oranges, russet apples and piquant herbs. This emits a lot of energy, both in its acidity and its chalky tannins, with a bitterness reminiscent of Seville orange marmalade. It would be ideal with a tajine of chicken and salt-cured lemons. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

91 Zurab Gvaladze $24 Zurab Gvaladze 2021 Imereti Tsitska-Tsolikouri Amber Dry

Relatively full in body, this wine carries an accented lushness, sort of Meyer lemon curd with lots of chunky zest, that flavor held within an otherwise satiny texture. There’s an abundance of acidity, as well as a certain chalkiness, that keeps the wine from breaking out into sweetness—it might bring to mind a nominally dry Vouvray from a ripe vintage. Serve with salted cheeses and smoked trout. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

90 Nine Oaks $30 Nine Oaks 2019 Kakheti Khikhvi

The grape khikhvi nearly disappeared 20 years ago but is now enjoying a revival, validated in examples such as this. Not shy, this amber wine makes its presence known from first approach with its volatile notes of burnt orange and spice, resinous tropical wood and salted mango flavors. The walnut-skin tannins are unmistakable, but they’re not harsh, the acid is lively, and there’s a lift of sweet fruit notes on the end. Serve with chicken braised with apricots. Uva Imports, Atlanta, GA

89 Baia's Wine $25 Baia's Wine 2021 Imereti Tsitska - Tsolikouri

Eighteen-carat gold in hue, this blend has a honeyed-marzipan scent followed by a cocktail of fruit flavors from apricots to mandarin oranges, peaches and a lonely cherry. The acidity is vibrant, and while the skin tannins are a little abrasive in the finish, they can be easily smoothened out with an Adjaran-style khachapuri, the Georgian cheese-filled bread. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

89 Dila-O $17 Dila-O 2022 Georgia Rkatsiteli - Mtsvane

Juicy stone fruit flavors, orange, a bit of earthy spice and a waft of smoke come together for an enjoyable amber wine. It’s solid value and would keep fine company with curry chicken salad, raisins optional. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

89 Do Re Mi $26 Do Re Mi 2022 Kakheti Rkatsiteli

Appealing and simple, this earned agreement from the tasting panel as an ideal “starter” orange wine for the yet uninitiated. Lisa Granik, MW, dubbed it “four-square,” spicy and clean. May Matta-Alia liked its gentle structure. Wine director Julie Bramowitz picked up on its dried-apricot side, likening it to hamantaschen filling. I found that same apricot, with spicy apples and oranges and moderate tannins. All of us were satisfied, if not blown away. If you want to gently introduce your family to something different, this would be a fine choice for the Thanksgiving bird. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

89 Georgian Legend $22 Georgian Legend 2021 Kakheti Rkatsiteli Qvevri Orange Wine

Rkatsiteli, as a grape, is fairly neutral, but when aged in qvevri, some interesting things can happen. The result here is a wine laden with savory herb and spice notes, caraway, anise, bay leaf and tarragon, with a squeeze of orange. The wine finishes short, but the tannins are fine and the acidity gentle. It would be a good match for herb-laden chicken breasts. Brave Selections, Cambridge, MA

89 K&K Natural Wines $28 K&K Natural Wines 2022 Georgia Rokhster Tsolikouri

Made in a “natural” style as the winery's name suggests, this is a touch oxidized. It shows tsolikouri’s varietal typicity, a bit on the fuller-side in terms of body, with flavors of yellow plum and bitter orange pith, while fresh acidity pushes through the oxidation. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

89 Vazisubani $26 Vazisubani 2021 Kakheti 3 Qvevri

While the tasting panel wasn’t unanimous on this amber wine, all agreed there was an appealing juiciness to the fruit, with nuances of oranges, dried apples and some lemon. The green tea-like tannins are a presence, but they don’t get in the way of some succulent pleasures. It grows at an estate founded in the 19th century. Ghvinos, Del Mar, CA

93 Vinoterra $24 Vinoterra 2020 Kakheti Saperavi

There’s something noble about this wine, not in an elite way, but from its grace, its mellifluous expression of sunny fruit: tart red and sweet black cherries, pomegranate laced with orange zest. All that fruit is firmly grounded in a base of minerals. There’s oak, but it doesn’t stand in the way of the fruit, and the tannin are polished, with a sense of airiness on the palate. Terrific. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

92 Teliani Valley $18 Teliani Valley 2021 Kindzmarauli

Simply delicious: A perfume of sweet and piquant herbs present themselves at first whiff, followed by a mix of pomegranates and blueberries, and the flavors of late-summer ripened heirloom tomatoes. Its soft sweetness is balanced with fresh acidity and velvety tannin, making it an enjoyable choice with moderately spiced lamb stew seasoned with fresh snipped herbs. This is proof positive of why semi-sweet reds deserve a place at the dinner table. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

91 Georgian Valley $18 Georgian Valley 2021 Kakheti Saperavi

While this wine holds its flavors tight to its core when first opened, a day of air—or an enthusiastic carafing—brings out its savor of spicy dark cherry, Damson plum, and dark-roast espresso beans. It’s well-structured, wrapped in velvety tannin, showing a sophisticated side of saperavi, suitable for a holiday table. Brave Selections, Cambridge, MA

91 Labara $27 Labara 2020 Imereti Circum Solem Otskhanuri Saphere

Another floral, peppery wine akin to Lavinia’s Aladasturi (also recommended here), this offers some of the unexpected pleasures of a light Loire Valley grolleau, if somewhat more substantial in its tannins and succulent red berry notes. There’s fresh acidity, and while the wine is dry, it finishes with a sensation that a sweet berry got mixed up into a handful of tart ones. Serve with charcuterie. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

91 Ocho $25 Ocho 2021 Kakheti Who Do U Love? Saperavi

This wine takes you down a brambly path, full of wild elder- and blackberries, menthol, and a hint of choke cherries. While the tannin are prominent, there’s also a gentle softness to the wine. Serve with lamb burgers. Roni Selects, Los Angeles, CA

91 Silk Road $23 Silk Road 2020 Khvanchkara Semi-Sweet

There’s something almost Mediterranean, rather than Trans-Caucasian about this wine–redolent of resinous herbs, oranges, pomegranates, prunes and spice. Mostly aleksandrouli with 20 percent mujuretuli, this is not dessert sweet, and would be a compelling match to a turkey molé with a bit of heat. Silk Road Wines, Orlando, FL

90 Dila-O $17 Dila-O 2021 Georgia Saperavi

Here’s a good introduction to saperavi and its dark, juicy, black cherry pleasures. There’s a meatiness to the wine, some grip from the tannins, and a bit of smoke. There’s also ripe-fruit, sunshine and lift on the end. Not especially complex, this would be a fine foil for pork shashlik (grilled meat skewers). Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

90 Kirke $21 Kirke 2021 Napareuli Saperavi

“Nice” isn’t a descriptor I am prone to use, but this is just so amiably straight-forward with a core of ripe red and black cherry flavors, laced with flowers on the side. Medium tannins offer enough structure to keep it “serious,” but in reality, it’s an easy drinker, just right for barbecues. Brave Selections, Cambridge, MA

90 Lavina $24 Lavina 2021 Imereti Aladasturi

There’s a whimsy to this light-bodied wine, full of rose-petal scents and bright, tart cherry flavors, almost airy in its texture, joyful in its acidity. It’s simple, but fun. Put a chill on it and serve with pear and walnut salad, topped with duck prosciutto and brie. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

90 Orgo $30 Orgo 2021 Kakheti Saperavi

It seems that someone let the grapes hang a bit longer than usual for this wine. The flavors are saturated with dark fruit—black cherry, mulberry, and especially ripe pomegranate. While the chocolatey tannins are soft, there’s a contrasting, appealing bitter note and balancing acidity on the end. Saucy beef ribs would be happy in its company. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

90 Rosha $30 Rosha 2019 Kakheti Vermilion Saperavi

Juicy, spicy, peppery. This tastes almost like a health bomb, with sweet-tart pomegranate and fresh pressed beet juice (from really good beets), and a squeeze of Meyer lemon. There is an earthiness here, giving the impression that you’re drinking something good for you. Compound the feeling with a sauté of shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. Georgian Wine House, Beltsville, MD

90 Royal Khvanchkara $28 Royal Khvanchkara 2019 Racha-Lechkhumi Aleksandrouli

Mouthwatering red berry flavors meld with earthy notes of fenugreek in this acid-driven red. It isn’t complex, but it’s earnest and would offer some unexpected pleasure if served at a wine bar, especially with curried sausages. Ghvinos, Del Mar, CA

90 Silk Road $19 Silk Road 2020 Mukuzani

The winemaker behind this bottle must have had visions of being a chocolatier at some point in life: This saparavi brings to mind black raspberries and cherry cordial enrobed in fine dark chocolate. There’s an earthy edge—to be sure, the wine isn’t sweet—and the tannins are fine and without astringency. Serve with lacquered duck. Silk Road Wines, Orlando, FL

89 Nine Oaks $30 Nine Oaks 2019 Kakheti Saperavi

Pomegranates being an important element of Georgian cuisine, this could provide an out-of-season stand in. Early on, you might catch cassis in the scent, but that quickly becomes grenadine-like on the palate, mingled with a lot of oak and an element of roasted meat. Savory and sweet (not in the sense of sugar), this could use some time, or serve with a sweet-glazed pork roast. Uva Imports, Atlanta, GA

89 Royal Khvanchkara $33 Royal Khvanchkara 2018 Khvanchkara Semi Sweet Red

A straight-forward, medium-sweet red, this offers a cornucopia of mixed fruit, berries, cherries and orange, along with a pinch of spice. While not especially complex this wine provides easy pleasure that would sit well with barbecue chicken. Ghvinos, Del Mar, CA

89 Zurab Gvaladze $28 Zurab Gvaladze 2021 Georgia Tsolikouri-Otskhanuri Sapere

Here’s a wine that provokes a personal recollection—the great pleasures of a late fall supper on the outskirts of Tbilisi nearly two decades ago: a table laden with Georgian greens, eggplant in walnut sauce, chicken tabaka, grilled meats, and unending pitchers of fresh red wine, medium bodied, and full of easy-going tart cherry and mixed berry flavors with fresh acidity. Nothing to contemplate, just thorough enjoyment. Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

In 2004. thirteen years after the Republic of Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union, Jamal Rayyis headed to Tbilisi to explore the country’s vineyards. He’d visited the country before and twice since, observing the changes in the way growers farm and make their wines—along with their attitudes toward local traditions. Tradition in Georgia translates to 8,000 years of winemaking, from more than 400 local varieties; the ancestors of many of those vines are presumed to have migrated toward Central and Western Europe to populate vineyards with their progeny.

Rayyis recalls how, in 2004, most winemakers seemed most interested in showing off their large vats, the vessels that provided vast amounts of wine for the Soviet Union, now Russia, Georgia’s largest export market to this day. It wasn’t until he returned in 2014 that growers and vintners openly discussed fermenting in <i>qvevri</i>, clay amphorae they buried up to their necks in the floors of their cellars—a practice many had dismissed a decade earlier as something only home winemakers might do. “Nearly every winery I visited, even large ones geared toward exports to Russia and Eastern Europe, now also had a qvevri program. No doubt, the percentage of qvevri-wine production was small for the larger companies, even if they had an important percent of skin-maceration whites made in tank. But, the fact that almost everyone was doing it spoke to a paradigm shift, at least for certain export markets.”

Even today, wines made in qvevri account for less than five percent of the country’s production, according to Lisa Granik, MW, one of our panelists and author of The Wines of Georgia (2019). Yet they continue to drive interest in Georgian wines here in the US. “There is no question that it is qvevri wines, and skin-contact amber wines generally, that seem to be the tail wagging the dog, namely, the style of Georgian wine that has attracted the most attention,” Granik says.

While Granik and Rayyis may appreciate these amber wines, both of them regret that more of the clean, modern styles are not catching on here—wines that might communicate the character of the local varieties in the local terroir more directly. Certainly, qvevri wines and the broader category of amber skin-contact wines have a ready market in natural wine bars and restaurants across the US. It may take some time before the autochthonous varieties or regional names gain a foothold, as few Americans have heard those names, or can readily pronounce them. Granik has noticed that Americans who visit Georgia often get excited about Kisi, perhaps because it is the easiest white variety to pronounce.

In any case, among the Georgian wines from white varieties that we presented to our panels, most were amber, as were all of those our panels recommended. Some of the reds fall into traditional styles as well—semi-sweet, ready to balance the bitterness of walnuts that appear in so many dishes in Georgia. We found a lot to explore among the 72 wines our panels tasted, recommending 30, with notes and ratings provided by Rayyis. —Joshua Greene

Jamal Rayyis

Jamal Rayyis is a NYC-based writer, editor and educator—and copy editor for this magazine. A pioneer in covering Middle Eastern wine, he is at work on a book on the politics of wine in the Middle East and occasionally updates his blog at palatesavvy.com.