Yandex is the ‘Georgian Uber’ it’s not quite as smooth but it worked fine in the city. Taxis (it works Ruth normal cabs as drivers) are very very cheap but mostly pretty shitty.
This is highly anecdotal, and is not intended to reflect a comprehensive overview of Georgian wine, but I’ll throw it in the mix.
In the winter of 08-09, we adopted my daughter (now 11) from Kazakhstan. We were in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk for about two months in the dead of winter.
The “best” wines you could find there were Georgian wines, and I kept trying them from the store and at restaurants. Most of them were awful. Not necessarily awful in the sense that they had no potential to be good, but they were just sickeningly sweet. As though you took a glass of decent white or red wine, and you put a heaping teaspoon of sugar in it and stirred it around to dissolve before you drank it. It was quite repellent, to varying degrees from one bottle to the next (and I had no way to discern which ones would be what way).
So, to be clear, this wasn’t overly sweet in the same way that Meiomi or Rombauer is (overripe fruit, chocolate, vanilla, jam), it was different, like sugary tasting.
What I was told was that most Georgian wine was exported to Russia, and that in Russia, they had a taste for very sweet tasting wines. Someone else could comment on whether that is true or not, or maybe it was more true a decade ago than today.
The best restaurant in Ust was called Old Tablisi, a Georgian restaurant with delicious shashlik and other exotic foods. Though most times we went, it was closed for private holiday events, and we had to make the long trudge through the freezing night to one of the mediocre other places to eat in town. It became such a beatdown. But the couple of times we successfully ate there, their Georgian wines were very good, and not sugary, overripe, or anything like that.
So my impression from that limited experience was that Georgia probably has the terroir and knowledge to make good quality wines, but you’d have to find the wines that aren’t tailored towards a sugary-wine audience. If Georgia could get an international market for its wines, probably there would be more opportunity and investment towards the quality wine business there. Or maybe if Russian tastes changed to be more like the western world’s tastes in wine, which could well be happening for all I know.
Same. You can buy the sweet reds at the Ukrainian markets here, but the one I shop at carries some good dry ones which are also carried by respectable wine merchants. Local importer Blue Danube brings some in. We have several Bay Area wine merchants who I and others have bought them from for our frequent blind (brown bag) tastings. Those retailers wouldn’t carry crap, so the only gamble is how freaky an orange wine is. I’ve had the range from novelty dud to quite impressive there. The clean reds and whites are mostly at least good for the price, interesting, and showing the potential of the varieties. I’d take those over Bogle/Berringer/Gallo any day. A few have been impressive, like a bottle of Kisi.
I don’t judge California by Taylor jug wine. I don’t judge France by the dollar a bottle bottom shelf stuff that doesn’t make it to the US. Georgia is making some good wines and showing the potential to do a lot better. The several grape varieties I’ve tried have been unique and compelling.
Steve, I was born in USSR and lived there, unlike you VISITING with a tour guide. You know, the difference beteen being a tourist and actually residing some place, no matter where on the map it is. And as for your claim that you really have tasted dry wines there, well, what do YOU think they should have poured you knowing that Western palates prefer dry wines? They need to sell, of course they will sample you on wines they KNOW your palate prefers. You’re happy, winery/shop is happy, and tour guide is even happier to be able to charge both you and the shop. Have no idea how to explain it any better. But MOST of Georgian wine produced is RS driven, for a number of reasons, main one being spicy Georgian food that works better with some sugar and another one is that they historically let the fruit ripen into territory that then leads to RS during fermentation. And another reason is that RS driven wines are so much easier to deal with at the winery, who cares if they are dry or not when they get sold.
As to rumors, doesn’t take a genius to figure out X acres times X tons X cases. Not rocket science, when import numbers then say X + Y, and we all know that not all of Georgia produced wine makes it to Russia to begin with, some stays home (and sold to tourists) and some is exported to other markets. Main reason Russia stopped all Georgian wine imports a few years ago and confronted Georgian wine producers with this crap, since then Georgia is better at “managing” their export numbers to Russia, but in reality nothing has changed for them and they simply now expanded to other markets (and UK seems to be one such) to sell the Y portion of the equation.
I am also guessing you have not heard of Krasnodar wine region with sea of vines planted and more coming online every day now that a) imports from EU are more or less either limited or not allowed and b) Russian market requirements for cheap wine since their people can’t afford anything but. But, yes, they also bring in Moldovan wine in bulk and bottle it, main reason you now see 2 full governments in Kishiniov as of 3 days ago, with each one begging Russia for economic ties. Moldova has only 2 real products, wine and corn, and whereas, and same as Kiev also mistakenly was a few years ago, Moldova was dreaming of entering lucrative EU wine market that dream has faded fast when they realized that EU wants Moldova’s fees/money, but not the products. Anyway, its a long discussion that will verge into politics there since that entire region’s economy is so tightly coupled to Russian markets. But I do agree with your premise that a lot of bulk Moldovan wine ends up on Russian wine market, whether bottled by Russians or Georgians, but in no way does it exclude Georgians from the equation.
You seem to be enjoying the wines, great for you! And I really mean it. That said, I have no idea what your palate is, and what your daily drinkers are, but I am just saying that here, in USA, one can buy Bogle, and a ton of similar wines, at half the price of Georgian wine, and end up with a much better product in all respects. But sure, some enjoy pickled herring (I do!), and lutefisk, say, and I am sure that 95% people on the board don’t. Otto is, I am sure, familiar with forshmak, not sure if he eats lutafisk. And it still only makes Otto and me to know about, and eat, forshmak, but still doesn’t make it something the rest of the board may. As much as you chiming in it still looks like you stocking up on Georgian wine is rather a rare exception and not a rule, and my original point. I know that vast majority won’t spend their money on this niche product.
Would this “equation” apply to Georgian tea as well??
The sweet (RS-driven) Georgian wine is a modern thing that was developed during the 20th century in Georgia. The traditional style of Georgian wines has been kvevri wines for thousands of years and you just can’t make sweet wines with them: you simply crush the grapes in the kvevri and the wine ferments dry. End of story. No residual sugar whatsoever.
It became possible to make consistently and reliably sweet wines only when the modern winemaking equipment arrived in Georgia - and that pretty much coincided with the USSR rule, when the wine production became quantity-driven instead of quality-driven, resulting in the almost complete extinction of kvevri winemaking. Georgia became a “wine-making factory-country” to USSR and they churned out millions and millions of liters of cheap, semi-sweet wine, because that was what USSR required. Almost immediately after the fall of the USSR the first small producers went back to making traditional, dry kvevri wines. However, these wines still remain rather obscure wines in the face of the big picture, since they’ve had less than 30 years to revitalize the traditional style and get out of that “quantity first” mindset that was the norm for a great part of the 20th century. Only after the Russian embargo the bigger wineries had to change their way of thinking and, ultimately, making wine if they wanted to get their wines exported to anywhere else but Russia.
And yes, I do eat the stuff the Norwegians call lutefisk and the Swedish call lutfisk every Christmas.
God, I wasn’t going to feed the тролль, but since you insist on argumentum ab auctoritate, fine, I’ll throw down. I lived in Russia from 2006-2019 (having first studied there in 1991-92) and was in Georgia as recently as the end of April of this year. Also, I used to drink Bogle zinfandel back in the day, shortly after I graduated up from Sutter Home White Zinfandel (we’re talking circa 1993). So I know something about the topics in this thread.
As for you, you honestly sound to my well-trained ear like someone whose family emigrated from the USSR in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s, and your opinions on Georgian wine are accordingly at least 15 if not 25 years out of date.
Why do you keep repeating this fallacy that Georgian food is spicy? It’s wonderfully flavorful, but not spicy. Not spicier than Turkish food (its not-so-distant cousin), for example. My authority for this statement is having first eaten Georgian food in 1991 (at the cooperative restaurants Guria and U Pirosmani in Moscow), getting my first Georgian cookbook in 1994, living in Moscow for 13 years of my life and having an Abkhazian Georgian nanny for my kids (who does a lot of cooking) for the past six years. Oh, plus eating Georgian food in Georgia. It’s only spicy to someone with a circa 1980’s Soviet Russian palate.
Please let’s not pretend that this was anything other than a purely political decision. Or do you actually believe that Roskomnadzor [sort of the Russian FTC/FDA/USDA] also barred Borjomi [Georgian mineral water] for “quality control” reasons?!
There is no restriction (except for the usual import limitations applicable to wine from anywhere) on importing EU (or US, etc.) wines into Russia. They do not fall under Russian counter-sanctions targeting EU (and other sanctions-imposing jurisdictions’) dairy, meat/poultry/fish, and produce products. See the website of this leading Russian wine importer for example. As for Krasnodar, I’ve not only heard of it, I’ve sampled its wines (and those of adjacent regions) fairly extensively.** Suffice to say that, as with Georgia, or California (the Central Valley specifically) there is plenty of crap, but also some interesting developments. Right now they are making some wines that can easily outrun Bogle but are a bit too international in style, plus some local wines that are interesting but a bit too exotic. No it will never be the Cote de Nuits but, with investments and a push from global warming, it can become a solid source of wines for a mostly domestic market with some wines worthy of wider renown (kind of like Switzerland, or Sardinia, for example).
As for Georgia, the source of this thread… sure there’s a lot of mediocrity, but wineries like Shilda (the real winery that is the location of the fictional winery that Dan K. pictured), Winiveria and others are making some serious wines that are so far from the one-barrel-many-labels libel you are spouting.
For anyone (including Greg) willing to have an open mind, if you get a chance to visit modern Georgia, don’t hesitate. In Tbilisi, stay at the Stamba Hotel or at least visit its bar or restaurant, with an extensive list of Georgian wines (in three distinct styles: “European”; traditional Georgian, and qvevri). Go to Kakheti if you can (it’s only a 75 minute drive). It won’t be the greatest wine experience of your life, of course, but you’ll have a lot more fun and drink better than you expected (while spending a relative pittance).
** Here’s a few TN’s:
- 2015 Fanagoria Avtorskoe Vino, Saperavi - Krasnostop - Russia, Taman Peninsula (12/15/2017)
Quite a solid wine, even without considering it comes from Russia (and not even the main wine region) and cost $8.50 in a Moscow wine store. Full purple color. Nose of blueberries and powdered marshmallows, with a hint of cherry, and not much else, which doesn’t seem all that promising. But the wine is vinified totally dry, with red fruits and even a touch of minerality on the palate, underlain with good acidity and somewhat drying tannins. Medium-full bodied but a bit thin on the mid-palate. Still, quite decent, reminding me of a pretty good Dolcetto. Claims to be hand harvested, which can’t be taken for granted in this price range. The heaver-than-average bottle and nice deckle-edged label don’t comport with the price and make me think this must be some oligarch’s vanity project. Worth a try – besides, when was the last time you had a blend of Saperavi and Krasnostop? (86 pts.)
- 2014 Vedernikov Winery Pravoberezhnoye - Russia, Rostov, Konstantinovskoe (5/30/2016)
I bought this out of curiosity and not because I expected great things out of a $10 Russian blend of cabernet sauvignon and two indigenous grapes: black tsimlyansky & krasnostop zolotovsky (sounds like the heroes of a Russian buddy-cop movie…). The name of the wine translates as “Right Bank” but if I had to form an association with a well-known western wine, it wouldn’t be a St. Emilion or a Pomerol but rather a well-made modern Barbera. (According to the back label the “right bank” refers to the Don River, and not an ersatz Gironde.) Visually it looks like a young cabernet with its regal purple color. An attractive nose of red fruits, blueberry, smoke and herbs is followed by a juicy palate of sweet ripe cherry and cocoa on the attack and mid palate, with welcome herbal notes following through on the finish. Modern in style but retains good acidity and balance and at 13.5% ABV is not overdone; tannins are also moderate. This would be fun to take to a blind tasting … even the best palate in the world would surely be fooled by this wine out of left field. I don’t know whether this wine is exported, but at this price it’s definitely worth a try. (89 pts.)
- 2013 Lefkadiya Reserve - Russia, Krasnodar, Krimskiy district (2/22/2015)
With a '12 Gripa St. Peray les Pins open, I decided to open this Russian blend of viognier (not allowed in the St. Peray of course), roussanne and marsanne for a comparison. Supposedly a former Mouton-Rothschild winemaker consults here, and this is the estate’s “reserve” white. It acquitted itself surprisingly well – less forward and fruity than the St. Peray, with more refreshing acidity and a touch of minerality. White peaches on the nose, and (with some mint) on the palate too (after additional time open, it starts to taste like liquified Sweet Tarts, which is more appealing than it sounds). A good sign of things to come from Russia, vinously speaking, perhaps… (90 pts.)
Yup Greg, most (just about) of Georgian commercial wine is semi-sweet. But most of that goes to Russia.
But Georgians generally prefer dry wines. And actually whatever statistics we have on commercial wine production are pretty meaningless when evaluating that statement. Why? Because the vast majority of wine that Georgians drink is not made commercially. It is “home-made” - made by the drinker, or their friends or relatives.
When I was in Georgia, I was not poured dry wine as a tourist fodder. Neither was I poured the rubbish sweet wine as you thought happened to tourists in an earlier post. I mostly tasted wine at places with incredibly small production levels that often had little or no wine left to sell. In fact, even the massive Telavi Wine Cellars could not sell me any wine after the tasting, because they were simply not geared up to do that. And I ate and drank at a range of restaurants, and drank “home made” wine at a number of them. Sometimes with a guide, but we also got to choose the wine on some of those occasions, and sometimes we ate alone.
You were born in the USSR, but when were you last eating and drinking in Georgia? It still seems strange to me that you describe Georgian food as spicy, and thus more suited to sweet wine. Georgian food certainly does use spice in some dishes, more so in the west than the east, but with very few exceptions it is not what I would call at all hot - in terms of heat it is more similar to Middle Eastern than Indian for example.
BTW, usually when I drink Georgian wine, I do not do it because is twice as good as another one, or even not necessarily better at all. What I like is that it is an interesting and different experience, and for me it is a good one. They are usually the small production qvevri wines. And even more BTW I used to live in Norway, and know lutefisk well enough, but just cannot see the point. As least Georgian wine has the right texture.
But I will grant you your point about Moldovan wine. It seems Georgians and Russians were both at it. But hopefully things have been tightened up since then. I found this New York Times article from 2006 on the subject:
What does fermentation vessel have to do with only resulting in dry wines? Unreal.
For the record, Krasnodar region produced a good chunk of Soviet era wine, with Moldova filling out the other half for the most part, and Georgian wines being much smaller chunk, still, simply due to same reasons they are today, lack of plantable land when compared to both Russia and Moldova. So, all this rewriting of history on your visits to Georgia, or some WiKi BS is no more than BS (hell, I am now reading some interesting hallucenogenic fantasy “facts” about city of my birth, Lvov, in WiKi, LEMBERG to rest of Europe for centuries, soneone should put that pipe down). YOU didn’t live in USSR BACK THEN and have no idea about state of wine consumption, trust me on that. My grandfather admired wines of Abrau-Durso, and I cannot see how anyone could ever argue that ANY Georgia produced wine EVER reached the levels of Massandra and a few others in Krym. Even today. Funny also how so many claim that Massandra, under Soviet rule, produced some incredible wines, and yet, same voices claim that Soviets destroyed wine industries in Georgia and Hungary. The irony is really thick with this one. At least no one in Moldova claims that, they still have (literally) miles of streets of underground cellars financed and built during Soviet times. Like I said above, unreal, in so many ways.
I am really, REALLY tired of hearing about “Soviets destroyed a wine industry”, be it in Georgia or Hungary. We’re almost 30 years after the fall and I keep hearing same crappy excuses for one’s inability to produce good product. Yes, in Georgia, Moldova or Hungary. No one stopped anyone from doing what’s right, whether in the vineyard (replanting, etc), or cellars. This qvevri BS is just that, MARKETING BS and nothing but. Same people who proclaim “qvevri rules!” also do not ride donkeys these days, do they? Its a frigging SALES GIMMICK in a modern world. Time to move on to cleaner and safer hygienic methods. But, sure, kool aid to some. MOST of what they make is crap, doesn’t matter if there are exceptions, because, well, that’s why they are called “exceptions”. If they really are exceptions to begin with, palate preference and all that. Remember, some eat lutefisk and durian, doesn’t mean they are for general consumption.
And who the hell forces them to CHEAT TODAY by bottling bulked out Moldova juice, those same Soviets of ~30 years ago? That’s a GENERATION REMOVED by now, for those awake.
Since no one here besides me actually lived there, and those still blind to the actual, factual history of the place no matter what the news media tell you, Soviets really didn’t run Georgia, it was pretty much an “autonomous” republic at the time, in all respects, and trains leaving for Moscow were OFFICIALLY announced over the PA system as “Leaving to Soviet Union”. DURING SOVIET UNION TIMES. Ridiculous to read some of the above from people who only “read about it”. Its simply mind blowing just how brain washed and fearful the West has become when it comes to Soviet Union/Russia, and now Georgia and wine. I am not a fan of Soviet Union and Russia, being a Jew makes one a hater of both and having both maternal grandparents imprisoned there for nothing doubles that, but a lot of the claimed crap I see in regard to both is simply mind blowing beyond comprehension, a lot of it is definitely “new” to me, as in “Are you insane?”. Brain washing and history distortion at their best. Lenin, useful idiots, and all that…
I see same arguments about Georgian wines I heard from Yugo buyers of the day. But, sure, your money, your choice.
Greg - Absolutely no one needed to be told the vast majority of Georgian wine is garbage. No one cares, either. We care about the good wines, which many of us have tried (details above, including the fact that some are made in a clean, modern fashion).
Greg Piatagorski,
I am calling you out.
IIRC, you were a semi-regular on the old Parker board and were eventually banned for your intemperate rants. I note that among them was incessant complaints that Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape (which I import) was fraudulently labeling their wines as having 14% alcohol, when in fact the alcohol level was higher. That may well be true, but who wants to read about it dozens of times, and (in the context of wine board members), who cares? I have communicated with several thousand people about Pegau since I started importing it 30 years ago. Perhaps a few dozen have asked about alcohol levels. Nobody complained about them, or about the labeling, except you.
We are both apparently wine professionals. I take notes on most (not all) of the wines I taste, especially if they are new to me. I am not well-organized enough to easily dig out the specific notes I have on the Georgian wines I’ve tasted, especially as they mostly go back more than 10 years.
Your posts are almost always marked by rage, sarcasm, belittling of other posters, and assumed superiority. You have made repeated posts about the inferiority of Georgian wines on this thread that I started.
I hate censorship, so I won’t ask you to ‘put up or shut up’. I admit I was relieved when you were banned from the Parker board, but if I had been a moderator, it would not have happened.
I’m just asking you to put up:
Post your detailed notes on all of the Georgian wines you have tasted in the past ten years. Include your scores, as well as your scores for the Bogle wines you compare them to.
If you can’t do this, please have the decency and courtesy to reply that your comments were not based on actual knowledge.
Dan Kravitz
Greg’s views on the current state of the quality wines produced in Georgia are invalid or irrelevant.
If you really don’t know and understand the basics of vinification even that much, and your reaction is at the level of a 10-year old besserwisser, I guess we don’t need to push the argument any further. Thanks for the rant.
Who would have thought the most acrimonious thread of the year would be about Georgian wine? I’m amazed you could get five replies to a thread on this topic.
Carry on.
Dan, you are beyond pity. You, of all people, have been openly lying to TTB, IRS and consumers. For decades. Just read through the thread again. Responses start with “No, no way”, then quickly switch to “well, yes, most are RS driven”, to then quickly leading to a best of excuse of “but they are only sold to Russia”. Right… What else is there left to discuss. How’s that 13.9% label, have you finally run out of it by now, I recall you pre-printed millions worth for the next few decades, as you claimed in your excuse?
As for your really foggy, and non-factual, recollection of why Parker wanted to get rid of me, go back and read the threads in which he decided to pick on me (brett, filtration, etc) for whatever reason in his drunken mind (Sokolin put it to good use at the time), last one over a particular Pinot Noir newcomer where Parker was caught with his pants down (again). I can easily rehash it, from memory, but you being your usual self can’t help it, but spit lies out. Same way you have been to TTB and IRS and consumers. I told you before, keep playing with that fire, there is no statute of limitations on financial graft, with heavy penalties as well as loss of license involved, and one of these days you will seriously piss off someone you really don’t want to with your on-going lies and misdirections.
Re-read Parker’s threads of those days and at least try to learn facts. Make an effort, its all good. And yes, I usually post in a very direct style, never liked PC and waste of time it leads to, but IMO its way better than openly lying to people, as you do.
As for donkey piss, as the wines are called sometimes in Russia… Like I said, your money and your choice. You guys have entire market to yourself, you should be happy. Oh, and I do not keep detailed notes, though can recall tastings from years back, entire lineups at times (when they do not extend into 20-30) and their winning order at the end. No scores, ever, those who know me and taste with me will tell you I never assign scores to any wine, scores are extremely arbitrary and someone’s 82 is another man’s 94. CT has plenty of reviews with “brett, some off notes on the nose, not enough acidity/complexity/flavor, too much oak, short finish. 92 POINTS”.
I did come across some Mukuzanis that were just OK, being dry, as I already posted above, but cannot recall any Kindzmarauli, Saperavi or any other varietal/region that were not dreadful, so taking and recollecting notes in such a case is actually very easy. Yes, I’ll take Bogle all day long. But scores, to me, mean nothing. You assign scores, good for you. Sounds like you guys are trying your best to validate your palates. No RS => 60% RS driven => many/most are RS => but sold only to Russia. And I am the one tasked with validating my POV. Irony, thick and heavy, by the truck load.
Way back in late '70s (and through early '90s) there was a restaurant on Brighton Beach, Kavkaz. As one can imagine, Georgian cuisine. One of my good friends was “family” to owners. I spent way too much time at the place, some great memories of course, so my familiarity with Georgian wines goes way back, back to the days when quality control in Soviet Union used to mean something and people went to prison for ignoring it (these days domestic cheese there often carries stickers with “contains 50% milk products” for example, hmmm, OK, let’s call it cheese).
Those TNs above, and scores attached, why would anyone include a Russian made wine, and with the highest score to boot? While questioning why I dislike Georgian wines. Well, you yourself provided proof that even Russian made wines are better than Georgian in attached tasting notes. How original of you.
As for Georgian food not being spicy, there is spicy and there is hot. Pepperoni is spicy, full on Korean/Thai/Szechwan dishes are hot. Turkish food is more similar to Armenian in its use of spices, Georgian uses way more fresh garlic, and cayenne in spice mixes, big difference. Their national sauce, adjika, which goes with all meat dishes including chicken, cayenne. Their national soup, kharcho, well, that same cayenne again. Lobio? Cayenne. Hope you get the drift. I cook Georgian food at home, as much as I dislike their wines I do love their cuisine. Though cook it less frequently these days with more of Korean/Thai/Chinese in the mix.
Ебалом щелкать может каждый, но ты все равно еблан.
What are you going on about? Mukuzani IS Saperavi.
And traditional Georgian wines are dry. There are tons of village appellation wines, especially in Kakheti (Khvanchakara, Kindzmarauli, Ojaleshi, etc.) that are made in semi-dry and semi-sweet styles, and while those still represent a somewhat significant amount of the total production, the amounts are diminishing and they are (and have been) mainly exported to Russia and to (former) Eastern bloc countries with large Russian population. Furthermore, basically all of these sweeter styles of wines were invented in the 20th century and they really don’t represent the local traditional style - they are just wines that became popular under the communist rule.
Georgian wines are dead at retail.
Greg, if you want to actually try a modern, clean, dry Georgian wine, don’t go looking at a frigging Russian deli! Those are bought to appeal to Russian emigres for their comfort and familiarity. In other words, exactly what you already know you won’t like.
We have several reputable Bay Area merchants who carry good ones. They’ve tasted before buying. Yes, a lot of that will be hipster/natural/orange. You can use your own common sense and avoid those.
You’re quite familiar with the workday brownbag tastings. All sorts of wines make it into those and people tend to steer clear of the too easy to guess. Most and probably all of the other winemakers in the facility you work out of have had Georgian wine they thought was good or better.
This is the last time I respond to a post by Greg Piatigorski.
You say that I am beyond pity. I feel the same for you.
FWIW: I have never printed any labels for any wines from Pegau or Laurence Feraud. I do not discuss alcohol levels with her. You accuse me of lying and cheating. Do you think I would jeopardize my business of 35 years save additional tax of about two bucks a case on one thousand cases a year??? I repeat, I have never printed any labels with alcohol levels I know to be wrong. The wines from my own vineyard are usually about 15% and are labeled as such. For those wines, I see the lab reports and then order the labels. They always correspond (for simplicity, I usually just use 15% even if they are 14.7 or 15.2… as you know, this is legal.
I have discussed with the relevant people the reason that you were banned from the Parker board. It was the ranting, incessant arrogance and negativity, the hate you spewed, and had nothing to do with your wine knowledge, which apparently (except for Georgian wine) is substantial. What a pity it isn’t directed towards writing positive comments about wines you admire. Again, you say I am “beyond pity”. I feel very sorry for you, having left Ukraine for California and being filled with so much hate. Telling me to read “real news” when I state that Russia is not a socialist country… I stand by the statement. It is an autocratic capitalist kleptocracy, which has nothing to do with socialism.
I deeply regret that you posted on this thread, but it is a free country and this board is admirably open. I am very happy to be a member and except for extremely rare circumstances like this, I enjoy the time spent here. Last but not least, you say that scores mean nothing. OK, how about posting on the specific Georgian wines you have tried with your tasting notes and no numbers? Or even on other wines that you have enjoyed, but are not part of your business. Or even wines that you enjoy in which you have a commercial interest, as long as that interest is disclosed.
Thank you.
Dan Kravitz
I was at a tasting of around 50 Georgian wines yesterday. Mixed quality in the wines - some very good, down to a couple that reeked of brett.
Very few semi-sweet red wines, but one of them was particularly attractive. It was a Georgian Royal Wine Kindzmaruli (2018) with lots of good fruit and, critically, plenty of acidity to offset the sweetness, in the way you often get with sweet Kabinett and Spätlese German wines. It also had a fair amount of tannin which also helped balance some of the sweetness. The overall impression was of a wine that was slightly off dry.
Incidentally Georgian sweet red wines are not necessarily the result of fermentations stopped very early - there are also higher quality versions from late-harvested grapes. I had a taster of one last time I was in Georgia. It did not impress me, but then I am usually very fussy about sweet wines.