Tbilvino, Qvevris, Kakheti, Georgia, 2015

Few among Georgia’s large volume producers have higher quality aspirations than Tbilvino, and qvevri wines are an intrinsic part of that. The company is building a new winery at present to specialise in qvevri and ambitious, classically fermented wines. This excellent Saperavi from their own 200ha of red varieties is qvevri-fermented with 30% stems. It's very dark in colour, with a burr of bramble fruit and autumn hedgerow generosity. On the palate there’s a fine balance of vivacity and richness typical of the variety, but the qvevri fermentation and the use of stems seems to have brought a complexity of aroma, a textural intrigue and a nut-oil freshness of flavour which makes this wine deeper and more complex than its classically fermented Tbilvino peers.