Tbilvino Tsinandali 2023

Tsinandali, Kakheti’s white appellation, where only Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane are allowed.

At Tsinandali the rule is simple and strict: two native grapes, grown only in the appellation’s own microzone. Tbilvino blends 85% Rkatsiteli, which gives the frame, with 15% Mtsvane, which gives the perfume. The grapes are hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel at a cool 12–14°C. The wine is then stirred on its lees for added structure and aroma, and part of it goes through French oak. In the glass: quince, lemon, orchard fruit, white flowers and a touch of spice. Dry and lively, it is a white that asks for a plate of food.

Tbilvino was founded in 1962 in Tbilisi to supply one of the Soviet Union’s largest wine cooperatives. In 1999 it moved to Kakheti, intent on reviving Georgian winemaking. The Russian embargo of 2006 hit hard, since Russia then took half the country’s output. Tbilvino regrouped, then renovated its equipment in 2008. Today it is run by two brothers, Zurab and George Margvelashvili, and makes wine in Tbilisi and Kvareli from its own vineyards, notably Vachnadziani (128 hectares in 17 plots) and Shashiani. Its principle is to let Georgia’s thousand-year-old traditions, buried clay jars included, speak with modern technology.