Favorable climate, great experience in winemaking and the great love of the local population to wine allows Georgia to produce high-quality wines. For the production of wine using local varieties of grapes, there are more than 500 of them. The most popular varieties are Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Ojaleshi, Aleksandrouli, Kachichi.
First, we'll figure out how to recognize good dry wines. To date, the world has many vintage wines. They differ in color, aroma, have different taste qualities. The main role in the process of creating wine is played by grapes, which can change its quality depending on the weather conditions, so that even the wines of one brand produced in different years sometimes differ from each other. Tasting will help to evaluate the quality of wine.
Instructions :
1. To recognize a good wine, you should stick to the "eye-nose-mouth" scheme.
2. After pouring wine into the glass, it should be carefully considered, preferably on a white background. Red wines do not contain foreign particles, have a beautiful color and are never cloudy.
3. After a visual assessment, you need to sniff the wine correctly. Shake the glass a little and inhale the fragrance. Since under the influence of oxygen in the wine chemical reactions occur, you need to sniff again after a few minutes to determine its aromatic evolution and resistance to oxygen.
4. The final stage of the tasting is the evaluation of the taste qualities of the wine. Since the human language has zones responsible for the perception of different taste characteristics, wine should not be swallowed immediately. You need to "roll" a mouthful in your mouth, feel the richness of the taste, give the blame "reveal".
5. A really good wine leaves a pleasant long-lasting aftertaste, with no alcoholic or unpleasant aftertaste.
7. If you do not have the opportunity to taste the wine, you can pay attention to the label of the wine-producing country. Of European countries, France, Spain and Italy are famous for their wines. All wines are divided into ordinary and vintage. In France, ordinary wines include local and table wines. For the production of local wine, only the best grapes grown in special areas are used. This fact is the guarantee of a quality and authentic drink. For Italian wines, the abbreviations DOC and DOCG are used, and for Spanish wines, DO and DOC. For example, if you are in Piedmont, then we advise you to buy red wine of the DOC category "Boca", which is made from the varieties of Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Bonard Novarez. Note that in the directories you can find a complete list of wines that are included in the category of DOC and DOCG. Thus, each consumer has the opportunity to buy a bottle of wine, controlled by origin.
Advice:
- For wine tasting we need a half-ellipsoidal glass ("tulip") with a volume of 200-230 ml. You can use larger glasses. They must necessarily have long legs, as well as thin, perfectly polished, transparent and narrowing up the walls. The main condition: dishes for tasting should be clean and dry, so as not to spoil the taste of wine. You need to hold the glass by the leg or the stand, and fill it - no more than a third.
- The wine is usually tasted in a clean, quiet and well-ventilated room at a temperature of 19-22 degrees. When tasting several brands, the wine is usually spit, so as not to dull the perception. Remember that tasting is a special art that helps to recognize a real masterpiece of winemaking.
So, the best natural dry Georgian red wines:
Red dry wine of a thick dark garnet coloring "Saperavi" is one of the most famous Georgian wines. It is made from Saperavi grape variety. In translation, the word "Saperavi" means "the blood of the earth". There are numerous legends about this sort of grapes. One of them says that the berries contain the living blood of the Keeper of the Mountains. The wine has a pleasantly tart taste, the complex bouquet is filled with shades of mulberry, blueberry raspberries, it is recommended to serve it to meat dishes.
It is known that the red wine "Khvanchkara" has a specific taste with notes of raspberry, it has a dark ruby color. It goes well with desserts. Semi-sweet wine "Khvanchkara" is obtained from the varieties Mujuretuli and Alexandreuli, which ripen in the vineyards in Western Georgia.
Georgian wine "Mukuzani" is an excellent drink with a fruity aroma of rich pomegranate color. The taste of the wine is soft, velvety. It is also made from the Saperavi grapes and is considered one of the best wines produced from this grape variety. Wine lasts three years in oak barrels, because of long aging it has a complex and harmonious taste. It fits well with fresh vegetables, cheeses, lamb dishes.
Semisweet wine of the color of the ripe cherry "Kindzmarauli" is considered, perhaps, the most famous Georgian wine. It has a gentle harmonious taste, made from Saperavi grapes. Perfectly combines with fruits and desserts.
Semi-sweet wine "Akhmeta" is made from the grape variety of Mtsvane, it has a floral aroma and a pale color with a greenish tinge. It is also worth noting that the wine of "Akhmeta" was recognized abroad: one gold and six silver medals in honorable international competitions.
Advice:
- Experts do not advise buying wine in earthenware, linking it with the technological features of processing a "youth drink".
- The best way to make red Georgian wine is Kakhetian, based on aging and storage of wine in special jars.
Now you know how to choose Georgian wines - a real elixir of youth.