Georgians say that Dugladze is just as honest, generous, hot and colorful as the men of this sunny country rich in wine-making traditions. Although the drink is called cognac, on the bottle label there is an honest inscription in English – BRANDY. Dugladze was created from Georgian distillates and by this, as it were, emphasizes that it has nothing to do with the French province of Cognac.
Historical reference. The year of the first release of the drink is 2004, although the modern enterprise was created on the basis of the Vaziani winery, well-known in the post-Soviet space, built in 1980. This family company belongs to winemakers with vast experience and traditions – Dmitry Dugladze and his sons.
The Dugladze family owns 300 hectares of vineyards in the regions of Kakheti, Imereti and Kartli. They grow autochthonous (local, traditional) grape varieties – Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Mtsvane, Tsolikauri.
The company has two enterprises – a winery in Kakheti, which carries out the primary processing of wine materials, and a plant in Tbilisi for the secondary distillation of spirits and bottling products. The Kakheti enterprise produces about 60 tons of wine material per hour.
The Tbilisi plant, which occupies 8 hectares, has 3 bottling lines:
- isobaric bottling line for champagne and sparkling wines with a Zeic “Venta” machine with a capacity of up to 4 bottles per hour;
- sterile filling line with a capacity of up to three thousand bottles per hour;
- bottling line for souvenir bottles of various sizes.
The company’s reserves are significant: more than 25 unique anhydrous spirits and 75 decalitres of cognac and wine essences.
In addition to Dugladze cognac, the company produces a number of famous Georgian wines – Saperavi, Kindzmarauli, Khvanchkara, Mukuzani. David Machavariani, who has been trained in France for 15 years, has been the main winemaker of the enterprise.
The company’s products are successfully sold in Singapore, China, Turkey, Poland, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Ukraine.
Production features
- The main feature is the original blend of each type of drink – Egrisi, Batumi, Eniseli, Tbilisi and Kutaisi have a different combination of alcohols.
- In the production of cognac, three grape varieties are used – Rkatsiteli, Pinot, Tsitska.
- Double distillation is carried out in alambic Charantais (Charentes alambic), in the most famous French distillation apparatus, which is also used in the production of the world famous Hennessy cognac.
- The drink is aged in barrels of mountain Caucasian oak for at least five years. The volatile “share of angels” is replenished with new spirits, so the barrels are not clogged.
Dugladze has five varieties: five-year-old Kutaisi, six-year-old Egrisi, twelve-year-old Batumi, fourteen-year-old Eniseli and the oldest, seventeen-year-old Tbilisi.
Assortment of cognacs Dugladze
- Dugladze, Kutaisi, 5 Years Old, 40%. Light amber drink with a light vanilla aroma. Mild taste with a hint of chocolate. Recommended by bartenders as a digestif, goes well with fruit.
- Dugladze, Egrisi, 6 Years Old, 40%. Cognac deep amber color pleasantly smells of vanilla and candied fruits. Velvety taste with notes of candied fruits, vanilla and chocolate. Brief warming aftertaste. Excellent digestif, goes well with coffee, desserts and fruits.
- Dugladze, Batumi, 12 Years Old, 40%. Twelve-year-old cognac of dark honey color with golden gleams. Soft aroma with hints of vanilla. Harmonious taste with vanilla-nut shades. Brief warm aftertaste. Recommended by restaurant critics and bartenders as a digestif.
- Dugladze, Eniseli, 14 Years Old, 40%. A tea-colored drink with a reddish tint and a bright vanilla-creamy aroma. Mild taste with hints of cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate. Long velvety aftertaste. Connoisseurs recommend it as an excellent digestif, goes well with coffee.
- Dugladze, Tbilisi, 17 Years Old, 40%. Dark amber drink with a pleasant smell of vanilla and chocolate. Velvety vanilla-nut flavor with warm chocolate aftertaste. Recommended by connoisseurs and experienced bartenders as a digestif.
