18 Oct Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Wine Well 2022 Kakhuri Mtsvane Amber Dry Wine, Kakheti, Georgia

On my last day in Tbilisi, Georgia, I enjoyed lunch at Restaurant Satatsuri, a charming restaurant owned by Ekaterine and Iva Davitaia. Located in the former home of Ekaterine’s parents, Ekaterine and her husband Iva opened the restaurant in 2020 and serve Georgian dishes with a modern twist. For the wines, Iva is dedicated to hand-selecting small, family-owned wines, each with a story and a taste that will stimulate customers to want to know more about Georgian wine. And when I sipped the first wine he poured me, I was excited and wanted to know more. That is why the Wine Well 2022 Kakhuri Mtsvane Amber Dry Wine, Kakheti, Georgia is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About Mtsvane

Georgia is home to 525 indigenous grape varieties. One of these varieties is Mtsvane Kakhuri, often simply called Mtsvane. Mtsvane is an aromatic white grape mainly found in Kakheti, the largest wine producing area of Georgia. Kakheti is home to 80% of the vineyards in Georgia, as well as home to 20 out of 29 PDOs. Mtsvane, means ‘young and green” in Georgian. When Mtsvane is made in a modern style in temperature controlled tanks, it has a greenish-straw tint and has floral, citrus, stone fruit, and tropical notes. When it is made in gvevri (the traditional Georgian amphorae), Mtsvane has more apricot and stone fruit aromas. Mtsvane is often blended with another Georgian grape, Rkatsiteli, to create a fruity, aromatic wine.

About Wine Well

For the wines sold at Restaurant Satatsuri, Iva selects them based on three qualities: the quality of the wine, the label, and the producer’s commitment to winemaking. Wine Well is a small, family-owned producer located in the Kakheti region. Winemaker/Owner Alex Chadkotadze is 32 years old. When he was 29, he showed up at Restaurant Satatsuri without calling. He knocked on the door and asked to talk about his wines with Iva. Wine Well wine fit Iva’s standards and he has sold the wine at Restaurant Satatsuri ever since, sharing the story of how he met Alex as he pours the wine. The Mtsvane is made in the traditional Georgian method and aged on its skins in the qvevri for 8-9 months. It is a beautiful amber color with notes of apricots, orange zest, fig, and roasted nuts. The wine has a lovely roundness and fullness on the nose and the palate, it has a velvety texture with a fresh lift and a lingering finish.

Food Pairing

If Mtsvane is made in a European style, it will pair with seafood, light salads, and goat’s cheese. When it is made in qvevri, the wine has a more distinctive flavor and a higher tannin profile. When made in the traditional Georgian style, the wine can be enjoyed with a range of dishes and can be used as a universal accompaniment in a meal. It can be enjoyed with fatty dishes, such as cheese, meat dishes, spicy or peppery dishes, and vegetable dishes. I enjoyed this wine with a Spinach and Lentil Georgian Soup. The spinach was added for color and the soup also had pomegranate and Sulguni cheese, a semi-firm, brined Georgian cheese made from the milk of cow and buffalo. If you find yourself in Georgia, make a point to dine at Restaurant Satatsuri. Enjoy delicious food and pair the food with Iva’s selection of wines. And, one of the great things at Satatsuri is that Iva charges the exact same price for every single bottle he sells. For More Information on Travelling in Georgia Visit – https://georgia.travel