Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti 

Grapes: Rkatsiteli

Vintage: 2020

ABV: 12.5%

Bottle size: 75cl

Viticulture: Natural

Winemaking: Full skin contact for 2 months and then aged for 6 months in a qvevri.

Vegan?: Yes

A perfect introduction to Orange wine. The nose is a delicate combination of orange peel, poire william (pear brandy) and a hint of vanilla. On the palate it has a bit of complexity, with elegant fruit flavours of dried apricot, orange and honey backed up with a gentle tannin structure and long finish. Made with minimal intervention, the wine is well balanced, pure and incredibly fresh. 

About the producer: Paata, the man behind Aptsiauri, only recently started selling the wines from his vineyard, which has been in his family for hundreds of years. The vineyard is located in the Kakheti Alazani valley, where the Caucasus mountains protect them from the elements. They use the ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method, recognised by UNESCO as an item of intangible cultural heritage in 2013, in which the wine ferments inside a clay amphora which has been buried underground. Paata does not use any chemical additives in the vineyard, and bottles everything unfiltered and unfined, producing complex and flavourful wines that reflect the unique terroir of Kakheti.