Mtsvivani Zurab Topuridze 2023

Mtsvivani Zurab Topuridze 2023 Natural/Organic orange wine from the Kakheti region in Georgia. Vineyard plot on the left bank of the Kisiskhevi river at ana altitude of 500 metres on stony alluvium, brownish grey, sandy loam soils. Mtsvivani the grape variety nearly disappeared entirely. Once widely planted across the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, it struggled on 2 fronts, firstly the occurrence of phylloxera an aphid like insect that founds its way to Europe from the Americas and destroyed 70% of the vines in Europe. Secondly Soviet-era standardisation policies that prized high yields over variety meant Mtsvivani fell well out of favour, however Zurab Topuridze is one of a handful of producers bringing it back.

Spontaneous (indigenous yeast) fermentation occurs in 1200 litre kvevri then some skin maceration for 1 month before being removed. Then some further maturation in kvevri post fermentation prior to bottling. The wine has aromas of Acacia, bitter almond, white flowers, quince, wild herbs, and flinty mineral notes. The palate is vibrant and fresh with some savoury notes that complement it

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.