Hey guys!
Iām in the country of Georgia this week, exploring different wine regions, experiencing the culture, and of course, tasting plenty of incredible regional wines. Today, weāre talking about our wine crawl night in the capital, an exciting Georgian wine event we have coming up, and one of the most interesting producers in Georgia: Giorgi Natenadze of Natenadze Wines
A Wine Crawl in Tbilisi š¬šŖ
Tbilisi has an incredible wine scene, up there with some of my favorite wine cities in the world, Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, you name it. There are so many places serving natural wine in a casual, unpretentious way, and the energy around wine here is amazing. This is now my second time in the city, and it really keeps calling me back. Here are three spots we hit most recently:
Saamuri Natural Wine Bar & Shop
This spot was our first stop of the day. Located in what feels like an outdoor market, Saamuri has a pretty amazing setting. Itās run by a group of friends who also have their own wine collective in Tbilisi called We Are Ghvino, and you can drink their bottles alongside a huge selection of other Georgian natural wines.
Pictured: We Are Ghvino at Saamuri Wine Bar
While we were there, we tried a few wines from We Are Ghvino and loved every one. Fresh, drinkable, and made from native Georgian varieties I had never even heard of. A real gem of a place.
27 Wine Cellar & Shop
When we showed up to this wine bar, my friends told me it was a pretty unique place to enter. Confused, I walked up to the front, only to realize that the ādoorā is basically a window you have to climb through.
Pictured: Entrance of 27 Wine Cellar
Inside is a small but charming bar with long steel tables and walls lined almost entirely with Georgian natural wine, including tons of producers I had never seen before. The staff was incredibly helpful in picking out a bottle and even sat with us as we browsed and drank.
Pictured: 27 Wine Cellar & Shop
27 Wine Cellar puts a huge emphasis on drinking local and promoting Georgian wine, sourcing bottles from producers all over the country. Thatās what excited me most: walking into a wine bar or bottle shop and not recognizing 3/4ths of the bottles on the shelves, giving us a real opportunity to explore. Itās one of my favorite things about the Tbilisi wine scene, and 27 Wine Cellar captures it perfectly.
The Warehouse at The Stamba Hotel
For anyone who has followed some of our Georgia content before, this place might sound familiar. The Warehouse is a wine bar tucked inside one of the nicest hotels in Tbilisi, The Stamba Hotel, and it also happens to be one of my favorite wine bars in the world. Iām not exaggerating when I say that. The setup is pretty straightforward: you walk into a small bar with what basically feels like a wine storage room behind it, browse the shelves, pick your bottle, and open it on the wooden bleacher seating outside.
Pictured: The Warehouse at The Stamba Hotel
The place attracts people from all different walks of life, all drinking natural wine and sharing the same space. It reminds me of Rosforth & Rosforth in Copenhagen or Delicatessen Place in Paris, places that feel just as much like gathering spots as they do wine bars, where you can hang out and drink incredible bottles. If youāre coming to Tbilisi, this should be stop #1
From Georgia to DC š·
As mentioned, weāre currently in Georgia, spending the week traveling through one of the oldest wine cultures in the world, and getting a much deeper look at a country weāve loved exploring.
Georgia has more than 500 native grape varieties and roughly 8,000 years of winemaking history. Itās also home to the qvevri, the traditional clay vessels buried underground that have been used to ferment and age wine here for thousands of years. But whatās been most exciting is seeing just how diverse Georgian wine is today, from traditional qvevri wines to fresh, modern expressions of grapes we rarely get to drink back home.
Luckily, weāll get to keep the Georgia exploration going when weāre back in the States.
On September 17th, weāre teaming up with Wines of Georgia at Luluās Winegarden in Washington DC for a full day dedicated to Georgian wine.
Weāll be hosting a trade panel from 11 am - 12 pm, followed by a trade walkaround tasting from 12 - 3 pm, with 8 importers pouring wines from across Georgia.
Then, from 6 - 9 pm, the doors open for a ticketed consumer tasting. Weāll also have a SuperVinoBros Selections bar, where weāve picked out a few bottles weāre especially excited about after spending time here in Georgia.
If youāre in DC, come taste with us! Tickets are available at the link below, and you can use our code for 25% off. Consumer and Trade Tickets here!
Hope to see some of you there š„
Producer Highlight ā
One of our favorite parts of wine is the discovery: weāre constantly being put on to new regions, producers, and cuvĆ©es from our friends. Weāll never be able to try EVERY wine, but we want to take a moment to mention some producers that excite us!
Natenadze Wines š·
Location: Meskheti, Georgiaš
There are few wine projects quite like Natenadze Winery, the work of Giorgi Natenadze in Georgiaās historic region of Meskheti. After centuries of disruption effectively erased the regionās winemaking culture, Giorgi has spent years searching for, identifying, and preserving ancient Meskhetian grape varieties, making Natenadze the first serious winemaking endeavor here since the 16th century.
Pictured: Meskheti, Georgia. Image by Wikipedia
Much of his work centers around extraordinary old vines found growing wild in forests and abandoned villages, some climbing 15 - 25 meters up fruit trees and surviving on their own roots. Rather than simply making wine, Giorgi has become part winemaker, part researcher, working to rediscover and propagate varieties that might otherwise disappear entirely.
Pictured: Giorgi Natenadze. Image by MoreNaturalWine
The wines themselves are as singular as the vineyards they come from. Produced in tiny quantities from wild and foraged grapes, they are made traditionally in qvevri with minimal intervention, allowing these nearly forgotten varieties and landscapes to speak as clearly as possible. There is something almost impossible to replicate about wines coming from century old vines that have essentially been left to nature, growing among forests and trees rather than neatly planted vineyard rows. Natenadze is ultimately a project of preservation: bringing Meskhetiās lost wine culture back to life one vine, one grape variety, and one small batch of wine at a time.
Pictured: Natenadze Wines. Image by MoreNaturalWine
I first tried Giorgiās wines at Dadi Wine Bar here in Tbilisi last year, and they tasted unlike anything Iād had before. The wines were wildly distinctive and delicious, but it was the story behind them, and Giorgiās work to revive an almost forgotten piece of Georgian wine culture, that I find the most compelling.
Wine Club Updates š· š¦
Septemberās shipment is coming your way soon, and like we mentioned before, weāre really excited about the wines this month. We even included a special bottle that I helped make during harvest last year! Canāt wait to hear what you guys think once youāve had a chance to try everything.
Not a member yet? You can sign up here:
Wine Portfolio Tasting š„
For our industry friends: our good friends at Stelle Wine Co. are hosting their annual portfolio tasting this Monday, September 14th. Weāre huge fans of their book, and if youāre around, definitely swing by!
Thatās it for today!
Georgia is such a special place, and I hope you get the chance to visit someday. Thanks so much for reading, and as always, drink responsibly! š„