Martin Luther: “Beer is made by men, wine by God.” During my recent travels to Georgia, I visited Kakheti, the heartland of winemaking in Georgia. I was invited by friends to their ancestral home in a small village, about forty minutes’ drive from Tbilisi. The two storey farmhouse is surrounded by a pastoral landscape with walnut trees providing shade and vineyards stretching as far as I could see. Rich in history, Kakheti is peppered with ancient churches, fortresses and monumental ruins on the mountainsides. My friends’ farmhouse has been passed down through several generations of wine growers. Our hosts remain committed to viticulture although they are each practicing physicians. Surveying the extent of their vineyards, I wondered how they ever found the time to tend to the grapes. Tita, Mtsvane, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli are the indigenous grape varieties producing red and white wines. Georgia’s unique amber wine is made from Rkatsiteli grapes, pressed and fermented without separating the seeds and husk from the grape juice. The skins lend a brilliant topaz color and slightly bitter taste to this coveted Georgian wine; yet, the flavor remains balanced. The vineyards stretch along lines in neat, even rows and must be tended to throughout the growing season. Harvesting the grapes demands a whole family effort as the grapes are hand picked and placed in the baskets woven from the vines. Later at supra I sampled two great homemade wines, a red and amber one. The amber wine was remarkably smooth with a defined aftertaste due to the high tannin from the skins. The Saperavi red wine was full blooded and pungent with a strong fruity aroma. It was hard to make a choice, but I selected the amber wine because the weather was hot; this wine is also quite rare outside of Georgia . If you are a wine connoisseur or keen on wine tasting, take a chance with the amber wine if you are travelling in Georgia. Bread, wine and meat are the main events at a Kakhetian supra. Appetizers served included eggplant and beets with walnuts, variety of cheese, including a famous smelly gouda sheep cheese, mchadi corn cakes, walnut sauce bazhe with golden drops of walnut oil on top, roasted chicken, beans, home pickles, tkemali sauce, khachapuri cheese bread all heaped over the supra. A large plate with fresh tarragon and other herbs decorated the table. The second coarse dishes included lamb, pork and beef mtsvadi (shishkebab) made in front of us on a spit and mildly flavored with smoke from the fire. Chakapuli lamb stewed with tarragon was my favorite, and I forgot all waistline worries. Our tamada entertained us with stories about Kakheti and how beans saved Georgians. The story goes: when Edward Shevarnadze (the Head of Georgian State and later the Foreign Minister during Gorbachev’s time) was once visiting Kakheti, a tamada proposed a toast to “ chveni marchenali” – our breadwinner, provider. Shevarnadze thought the toast was to him and thanked the tamada. But the tamada apologized and explained he was toasting beans instead, as the savior of Kakhetians for centuries in times of food scarcity. Everyone laughed as Georgians appreciate good jokes. Nekresi Monastery While in Georgia, I visited the Nekresi monastery in Kakheti. Built in the 6th century, the monastery is located high up on the hill. The road is so steep that you drive only to a certain point, leave your car, then small buses with trained drivers take you up to the top. The monastery was closed during the Soviet times, and very few tourists know about Nekresi. But a lot of Georgians visit this gorgeous, holy place. From the monastery there is a spectacular view of the Alazani valley with farmlands and vineyards where grapes have been grown for centuries. Wines from the left bank differ from the right bank. As they say, grapes reflect the character of the place where they grow. The monastery is a low monumental building typical for that period. A vast winery in the monastery still features buried in the ground qvevri clay vessels and a huge wine press used to make wine. One story goes that during one of the invasions pigs saved the monastery. When Muslim troops attempted to capture Nekresi, the monks let the herd of pigs down the hill. The Muslim army retreated, thus Nekresi pigs became highly regarded animals and are sacrificed in the monastery, the only Christian place where it is allowed. ![]() Gremi was the capital of the Kakheti for two (16th and 17th) centuries until destroyed by Persians troops led by fierce Shah Abbas I in 1615. Only the Church of the Archangels and the royal citadel located up on the hill survived, but it is an attraction worth visiting. I especially like the turquoise dome of the church, which elegantly blends with the blue sky of Kakheti. The capital was later moved to Telavi, but Gremi remains one of the wonderful examples of the medieval architecture and a testimony to the resourcefulness of the stone masons’ craft back then.
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![]() Greetings friends! I had the pleasure of hosting a very good friend of Mine, Nell E., along with a few of her friends at my home to celebrate her birthday via a wonderfully pleasant evening of Georgian dining and wine. The following is a description of the evening by Nell. Thanks Nell! "I was recently lucky enough to be invited to an incredible Georgian feast at the home of my friend Tatiana. While I always eat delicious home cooked food at Tatiana's house, to have the opportunity to eat Georgian food in New York City made this meal even more interesting and special. Tatiana began by serving us three vegetable pkhali dishes- eggplant rolls (Nigvziani Badrijani), carrots (Stapilos Pkhali) and spinach (Ispanakhis Pkhali) with walnuts, along with chvishtari, a sophisticated corn cake, originating in Svaneti, an area high in the mountains of northwestern Georgia. For six months of the year, Svaneti is inaccessible and covered with ice and snow so access to grain is limited. Tatiana explained that pkhali are vegetable dishes which use walnuts in combination with herbs, garlic, chili pepper, and spices, and they are a signature of Georgian cuisine. She also introduced us to an amber wine that comes from Georgia. It is an interesting cross between white and red. Toake Georgian Amber wine, the white grape juice is not only left in contact with the skins, but also the seeds, and the ripest stems as well. This adds tanins and makes the wine more stable. When I researched this later I came across this interesting description of the process: http://wakawakawinereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/georgianorangewine.jpg The main course came next. Tatiana made Beef Stew Kharcho. Tatiana told us that Kharcho is part of every Georgian homemaker’s repertoire. The word kharcho or kharsho derives from Georgian verb kharshva, which means “to boil.” What makes Kharcho stand out to me is the use of walnuts to thicken the broth, and Khmeli Suneli, a spice mix of blue fenugreek, coriander, and marigold (along with some other more common spices). Along with the Beef Stew Karcho, Tatiana fed us Soko Ketsze, a decadent mushroom dish. The mushroom caps are filled with grated sulguni cheese which is then melted and browned within the cavity of the mushrooms. So delicious! Georgian cooking doesn't really include a lot bake desserts. We had some fruit and some chocolate, but really we were so satisfied with all the savory courses, who needs dessert?!" -Nell E. May you all take the steps to finding time to enjoy both food, wine and hospitality that is Georgian |
In the PressThe New Yorker:
The Culinary Muse of the Caucasus The New York Times: Putting a Fresh Spin on Traditional Georgian Cooking at Pirosmani Saveur: The Lost Cheeses of GeorgiaOF GEORGIA AuthorArchives
September 2019
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