KHIKHVI Zurab Topuridze 2023

KHIKHVI Zurab Topuridze, natural wine, light skin contact, soft acidity, stone fruits, lovely texture.  The rare Khikhvi is often used to produce sweet wines using traditional Georgian Kvevri methodology. The grapes are known for their high sugar concentration and produce well-balanced, tender-tasting wines often with some skin maceration in the drier styles.  They have round, soft stone fruit flavours, sometimes slightly Gewurzy flavours with a generous palate.  Topuridze’s example is characteristically fresh and delicious with a lovely balance and lightness of touch.

Zurab has been involved in vineyard farming and making natural wines since his childhood when he used to help his grandad. He was only 13 years old when he made his first natural wine on his own.

Today his winery is in the village of Dablatsikhe (English translation 'Lower Castle'), in the western part of Georgia, bordered by the Black Sea with subtropical coastal lowlands to the west and the mountains to the east. The region is famous for its polyphonic music, humorous people, and used to be well known for its delicious rose-hued wines.

When Zurab got married, he bought a small house in the village and sufficient land for viticulture. He makes natural wines in underground qvevris with a total capacity of around 13 tonnes (22 terracotta vessels in total). The vineyard itself is only four hectares, planted on the terraced slopes of the River Supsa valley, on reddish-brown clay soils with lots of magnesium and iron content.

His wines are absolutely charming.  The red is a very light example of the often hard work Saperavi grape.  The white/skin contact wines are completely drinkable examples of this style, again, lightness of touch characterises the wines.  These are Georgian wines for any occasion with any food and are both interesting and delicious to drink.