The litlle winery Tsikhelishvili in Georgia and his delicious wines

One of the wineries I visited in Georgia in 2019 was Tsikhelishvili wines which makes natural wines using traditional methods. Grapes are produced and processed organically and aged in Kvevris (large terracotta pots).

The winery is at an altitude of 500 m above sea level, next to the Alazani river with beautiful views of the Caucasus Mountains. It is located in Alvani Village, Akhmeta, Kakheti Region. This region is historically known as the cradle of wine.

On the way to this winery, we stop to see the beautiful Alaverdi Orthodox Cathedral, which has a very ancient origin. It is said that before Christianity, the place was a pagan temple and became a Christian church in the second half of the seventh century. Today it is an Orthodox church.

Its expansion, until its present size, occurred in the 11th century. It was damaged and looted several times and restored in the 15th century.

Getting to the winery site wasn't easy at all and without our guide Misho Davitelashvili we probably wouldn't find the place! No signs, no numbers, almost no one on the streets.

The winery was founded by Aleqsi Tsikhelishvili who learned as a child how to make wine from his mother. Today he is solely responsible for the production of grapes and wines, Vigneron (mevenakhe).

The one who welcomed us on this visit besides his father was the Beso boy who helped us a lot with the conversation in English.

Aleqsi's first commercial production of wine was in 2009. His family has kept the same vines since the Soviet period. The ancient vineyards are planted with the classic varieties: Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane, white and less than 100 vines of Jgia, an almost extinct red variety.

In its 2.5 hectares, it produces from 4,000 to 5,000 bottles per year, about 200 are Jgia. The cultivation is organic and all fruits are grown naturally. To retain soil moisture in the warmer season, Aleqsi doesn't cut the grass between the grapevines. The only treatments in the vine are: the use of sulfur and copper. All the work from the field to the harvest and the placement of the grapes in the kvevri is manual.

During natural primary fermentation (without the addition of yeast), the must is regularly moved with rudimentary tools.

When fermentation is over, the kvevris are sealed and capped and the wine is left on the bark for a period of 6 to 7 months. After this the wine is separated from the skin and resting on kvevri for a variable period of 6 months for the Jgia strain (2016) and 18 months for the Rkatsiteli (2015). The wines complete malolactic fermentation and are bottled without filtering and addition of sulfite.

Tsikhelishvili wines are hand-carved masterpieces, wines made to be drunk more for the mind than the body. Aleqsi looks like a simple farmer with his modest means, but his work shows the artist's heart and the alchemist's touch. This is best understood through your Jgia wine. This is a forgotten grape, which in the hands of its most sensitive interpreter makes wine a love story. Tsikhelishvili wines are exotically fragrant and well-rounded and have more nuances than strength.

Aleqsi prepared to welcome us, a table with a sausage prepared by him, as well as bread and cheese to accompany the wines. Thus began the wine tasting. The wines generally bear the name of the grape used.

We started the tasting by the white Mtsvane 2016, made by a green-colored grape, which results in a aromatic, fruity and balanced wine. The wine has an intense yellow tone, is dry, with noticeable tannins, striking acidity and hints of dried apricot.

We continue to Rkatsiteli 2016. A darker amber wine with a striking tannin, balanced by intense acidity. The aromas are caramel, honey and apricot.

The rare wine of the Jgia 2016 strain is bright and very translucent raspberry with a little halo. On the nose it is slightly musty, with aromas of mushrooms, some fresh gooseberry tones, a little sandy soil and a hint of moisture. The wine is mature, moderately full bodied and slightly sweet, with sweet strawberry flavors, earthy, with high acidity and very noticeable tannin.

After the tasting, we walked around the property where I saw the distiller that the winery uses to make its Chacha (fermented from the grape peel. Grappa type).

This experience of knowing a small winery was interesting because it made us realize the idea of ​​commitment and the difficulty that these producers, who put their lives to produce what they do best!