Hipster wines #2: Lagvinari Goruli Mtsvane from Georgia

This is an ancient winemaking method, in fact it is the oldest known method of wine production going back almost 5.000 years into the origins of viticulture around the Caucasus. 

There are many challenges presented under this method and it seems to be a complicated process as described here. Yet, maybe the biggest challenge is to produce an enjoyable wine that is not too tannic and that does not smell only of oxidation. During my last visit in RAW Wine Fair in London I tasted several wines from Georgia and I have to admit that I found hard to enjoy some of them, especially the whites which were perhaps too tannic because of prolonged skin contact of several months, a process that gives a tannic backbone to the wine protecting it from oxidation. 

I guess that the secret lies in an adoption of some modern practices as well as adding very low levels of sulfites usually at bottling. I am thinking that the most important think (at least in my mind) is first to enjoy a wine. That goes beyond any ethics declaration, manifest or protocol...

Lagvinari Goruli Mtsvane (Goruli Mtsavane this is the variety) is a delicious vin gourmand possessing all the ''natural'' characteristics (fermented in Kvevri. not fined, unfiltered and low in sulfites) in a definitely positive way. Nose is very complex with bergamot, orange zest and candied apricot. Honeyed also with hints of lemon blossom impresses for its freshness in the context of natural orange wines. Beautifully balanced on the palate with soft tannins, delicate flavours and long finish this is an excellent wine for risotti, roast chicken and pork. 92/100