Seven years ago Annette Schiller and I spent a wonderful week in Georgia on a wine tour. Georgia is located in an area that is considered the birthplace of wine. Georgia is a small country with a difficult history. During the Russian Zsar's empire, French wine making and cuisine was important. During the Soviet Union period, Georgia was the chief provider of wine for this vast country, essentially low-cost mass wine shipped in tanks to all regions and bottled there. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, the amber wine revolution has discovered Georgia and Georgia has become a key player in the natural wine scene.
Yesterday evening a lot of memories came back from our trip 7 years ago at a winemaker dinner at Supra Restaurant in the Shaw District of Washington DC with 2 winemakers/ owners from Georgia: John Wurdeman of Pheasant's Tears and Aidan Raftery of Igavi.
On our tour in Georgia 7 years ago we had a wine tasting and lunch at Pheasant's Tears.
Thanks to Alice Feiring for putting this Georgian Wine Roadshow together and thanks to Jonathan Nelms for hosting John and Aidan at his (Michelin listed) Supra Restaurant in Washington DC.
A memorable evening.
Georgian Wine Road Show (Feiring Line)
The Feiring Line: “When Georgian winemakers come to town, they show us all what wine and joy is all about. They are the masters of the long toast, the forever celebration, the raw emotions,” writes Tamy Rofe, co-founder of Colonia Verde in her latest newsletter The Georgians are Coming to Town about our upcoming Georgian Wine Roadshow. Her contagious excitement is the best expression we could hope for on the upcoming 6-state, arms-wide-open welcome we are planning for our Georgian winemakers. We hope to show them a small part of the hospitality they have shown us in their country.
Beginning on May 15 in New York, winemakers John Wurdeman of Pheasant’s Tears, John Okruashvili of Okro Wines, Ramaz’s namesake Ramaz Nikoladze and Igaviwinemaker Aidan Raftery will be traveling to cities across the US for a series of events that honor wines most fundamental purpose: to gather, to sip, to enjoy. The birthplace of wine brings us, as our friend Alice Feiring describes, “fierce, unfiltered, emotional” wines. Alice, a preeminent expert in Georgian wine, shares her insights in her book, For the Love of Wine, and will be distilling her enthusiasm and expertise at our NYC events!
A “supra” is a celebratory feast, featuring tons of food, plenty of wine, and toasts courtesy of a ‘tamada,’ sort of a super-toastmaster in charge of keeping the party going. (See above for a classic painting of a supra by the great Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani. Ours will be a little more informal - and coed!)
The menu will include new dishes from our Spring Menu, including a Mushroom Tartine with Kakhetian Guda cheese, the classic Eggplant Nigvzit, our spectacular Saffron Duck with Savory Blackberry Sauce, and a Chocolate Mousse with Tarragon Cream & Tkemali Ice Cream!
Just buy a ticket! (See below.) Your $180 ticket (plus tax) covers everything for the feast, including all food, wine, and desserts. Come with friends and make more at our supra table!
Supra welcomes two legends of Georgian winemaking: John Wurdeman (Pheasant's Tears) and Aidan Raftery (Igavi Wines)! Come hear the story of how these two iconoclastic winemakers are breaking down barriers and spreading the good news about Georgian wine around the world! Thoughtful pairings show how these incredible wines bring out the best in Georgian dishes (and vice versa!)
WELCOME FRIENDS! MEGOBREBO! Start off with Igavi Aladasturi, 2024 FIRST COURSE Gobi ‘Friends’ Platter: pair of vegetable pâtés ‘pkhali’ – beet, collard green; fresh & smoked sulguni, kakhetian guda, ajika, house-made pickles; wheat bread ‘shotis puri’ & cornmeal ‘mchadi’ Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli Bodbiskhevi, 2024 SECOND COURSE Mushroom Tartine Eggplant Nigvzit Paired with Igavi Mgaloblishvili, 2024 THIRD COURSE Watercress Salad Imeruli Khachapuri Paired with Igavi Tsolikouri, 2024 FOURTH COURSE Saffron Duck (or vegetarian alternative: Mushroom Risotto*) Grilled Vegetable ‘Bostneuli’ Platter Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi, 2024 * If you prefer the vegetarian option, please let us know in the "Special Requests" box, which will appear after you make your reservation!
FIFTH COURSE
Chocolate Mousse Tkemali Ice Cream Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Chacha, house-infused with walnut 'paper' and bay leaf.
Annette and I spent a week in Georgia, the small country that used to be part of the Soviet Union, located between the Black See and the Caspian See. The area is considered to be the birthplace of wine. Research indicates that wine has been made in Georgia for 8000 years. There are over 500 indigenous grape varieties in Georgia. Traditionally, wine in Georgia has been made (fermented and aged) in amphoras burried in the ground.
This was a group-tour of the Collegium Vini, an association of wine lovers in the Frankfurt/ Germany area, of which we are members. The tour was organized by GEORGIENREISEN. Co-owner Tea Totogashvili was our guide. The focus of the tour was on culture and wine.
Wine in Georgia (schiller-wine)
Georgia is located in an area that is considered to be the birthplace of wine. Research indicates that wine has been made in Georgia for 8000 years. There are over 500 indigenous grape varieties in Georgia. Traditionally, wine in Georgia has been made (fermented and aged) in amphoras burried deep in the ground.
Georgia is a small, Christian country with a difficult history. In particular, it was part of the Russian Zsar's Empire. During that period the influence of French winemaking and French cuisine was important. More recently, Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet Union period Georgia was the chief provider of wine for the whole country.This was essentially low-cost mass wine shipped in tanks to all regions of the Soviet Union and bottled there. There was no commercial qvevri winemaking during the Soviet Union period. The commercial sector was dominated by huge stainless steel tanks to produce sweet-style wines.
After the break-up of the Soviet Union and various conflicts between Russia and Georgia, the Georgian wine sector has been adjusting to the new market conditions. The production of inexpensive, often sweet-style wines for Russia and other neighboring countries remains important.
At the same time, the amber wine revolution has discovered Georgia and Georgia has become an important player in the natural wine scene, including in New York, Berlin, London etc. But quevri wines account only for 3% of Georgia's wine exports. Still, they account for 100% of the buzz.
Tradionally, both red and white wine have been fermented and aged in quevris, burried in the ground for temperature control purposes. Basically each family in Georgia has a quevri where they make there wine in this ancient method. Typically, quevri wines are no-sulfur wines with natural yeast only. Whole-bunch fermentation is the rule.
While the buzz is about the hard-core qvevri winemaking where the grapes are fermented with their skins, pips and stems and aged for an extensive period in a qvevri, you also find winemakers that combine the traditional Georgian approach with modern approaches like aging in barrels or fermenting in qvevris but without skins, pips and stems. In fact, there is a whole range of quevri winemaking.
Interestingly, not once went a winemaker with us to the vineyard and we did not have one single-vineyard wine in Georgia. In general it seems that vineyard issues are on the backburner in Georgia.
Arriving at Supra in Washington DC
Gobi ‘Friends’ Platter: pair of vegetable pâtés ‘pkhali’ – beet, collard green; fresh & smoked sulguni, kakhetian guda, ajika, house-made pickles; wheat bread ‘shotis puri’ & cornmeal ‘mchadi’ Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli Bodbiskhevi, 2024
Mushroom Tartine Eggplant Nigvzit Paired with Igavi Mgaloblishvili, 2024
THIRD COURSE Watercress Salad Imeruli Khachapuri Paired with Igavi Tsolikouri, 2024
FOURTH COURSE Saffron Duck (or vegetarian alternative: Mushroom Risotto*) Grilled Vegetable ‘Bostneuli’ Platter Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi, 2024 * If you prefer the vegetarian option, please let us know in the "Special Requests" box, which will appear after you make your reservation!
FIFTH COURSE Chocolate Mousse Tkemali Ice Cream Paired with Pheasant’s Tears Chacha, house-infused with walnut 'paper' and bay leaf.
Georgia Wine Tour 2019: Discovering the Birthplace of Wine
Tour and Wine-pairing Lunch at Iago Winery in Mtskheta, with Cult-winemaker Iago Bitarishvili - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
Wine-pairing Lunch at Pheasant's Tears, Arguably Georgia's Most Famous Winery - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
Tour, Tasting, Dinner and Overnight-stay at Schuchmann in Kakheti, with Roland Burdiashvili, Managing Director/ Assistant Winemaker - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
Tour, Extensive Tasting and Light Lunch at Tchotiashveli Estate, with Owner/ Winemaker Kakha Tchotiashvili - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
Tour of the Marani, Qvevri Wine Tasting and Shashlik Dinner at Martali Wine, with Owners/ Winemakers Nikoloz Bitskinashvili, Nikheil Bitskinashvili and Thomas Schubaeus - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
Tour and Extensive Tasting at Château Mukhrani with General Manager/ Winemaker Patrick Honnef - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
At Mosmieri Winebar and Shop in Tbilisi, with Château Mosmieri Owner Joerg Matthies - Georgia Wine Tour 2019
