Contents
Kindzmarauli wine – red semi-sweet heritage of the Georgian region of Kakheti. It is produced from the well-known and beloved by many Saperavi grape variety. At the same time, vineyards should be located exclusively in the Kvareli region of Kakheti, whose land is especially rich in natural mineral fertilizers brought from the Caucasian highlands by the Alazani and Durudzhi rivers.
The grapes are harvested exclusively in the first three weeks of September. Only in this way will the fruits contain about 22% sugar, providing the natural sweetness of kindzmarauli.
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History of Kindzmarauli
Kindzmarauli wine has its roots in the depths of centuries or even millennia. Natural semi-sweet wines of modern eastern Georgia are associated with the so-called Kakhetian method of winemaking, in particular, which involves at least two years of aging the future drink in original sharp-bottomed clay tanks, Qvevri, almost completely dug into the ground.
It was this method that formed the basis for the functioning of the Georgian Kindzmarauli winery, which produced the first batch of its products by 1942, at the very height of World War II.
There is a strong tradition that refers to Kindzmarauli as Stalin’s favorite wine. And there is a certain amount of truth in this. The cruel, outstanding dictator really preferred the wines of his homeland (including semi-sweet Kakhetian ones) and often used them as an instrument of unofficial banquet diplomacy. In this regard, on the basis of a semi-handicraft winery, whose oldest building dates back to 1533, an advanced enterprise for that time was built, which, like several similar Georgian wineries, was intended to provide for the informal diplomatic needs of the Soviet ruler.
Actually, criteria were formed at this plant, and to this day they are inherent in the drink we are interested in. Namely:
Fortress – 10-12 degrees;
Sugar content – 30-40 g / dm³;
Color – pomegranate or overripe cherry;
The aroma is delicate, balanced, with a cherry tint;
The taste is enveloping, velvety, rich with cherry plum, pomegranate and blackberry notes.
As a result, the wine produced in the city of Kvareli and its environs turned out to be so original and unique that in 2012 Georgia managed to achieve recognition of its international status of a drink controlled, like cognac or port wine, by the place of origin.
Kindzmarauli types
Perhaps it would be more correct to speak not about the types, but about the brands of the Kakhetian drink and their producers.
According to serious experts, the best wines of this category are produced at the wineries of Shumi and Khareba. Despite the fact that the Shumi plant itself is somewhat away from the treasured vineyards of the so-called Kindzmarauli microzone.
Next come the wines of the Kindzmarauli corporation: the successor of the same winery, founded with the blessing of Stalin. However, in recent times, the products of this largest manufacturer in this area are gradually losing their bright originality and slowly but surely slipping into the level of stable mediocrity.
This is followed by quite numerous brands of kindzmarauli, whose producers specialize in good, but not outstanding drinks. Among them:
Georgian-Italian brand Badagoni
Kindzmarauli tetroni
Kindzmarauli galavani and the like.
There are also options that are rather dubious from our point of view. For example: Kindzmarauli Alaverdi, whose vineyards do not grow in Kvareli, but in the neighboring Gurjaani region, or the Tiflis Kindzmarauli wine cellar produced by the association from the Merani collection.
I must admit that the last of the drinks, which I never tried, fell into the category of dubious purely for subjective considerations of an ideological nature. The fact is that Tiflis is the colonial name of Tbilisi during the Russian Empire. Thus, the name of the brand sounds as disrespectful to the producing country as if someone dared to call Ukrainian bread Little Russian, and Gdansk vodka Danzig.
How to distinguish a fake kindzmarauli
Unfortunately, there are not so many varieties of Kakhetian in nature that are of interest to us. The Kvareli region producing it is quite small. Suitable for drinking grapes ripen on vines whose age reaches at least 30 years. The yield of Saperavi leaves much to be desired, and the plant itself is capricious and prone to various diseases. Therefore, it is not surprising that even the industry’s leading enterprise, the Kinzmarauli Corporation, annually produces no more than 500 bottles of wine.
Since the demand for the drink is many times greater than the supply, there are many who want to take advantage of the situation and foist various kinds of fakes on the buyer. In order not to get into trouble, you should keep in mind a few points.
An authentic Kakhetian drink is not a cheap pleasure. The average price for it fluctuates around the ten-dollar mark.
The following parameters should be indicated on the label: the name (usually in English transliteration), the category of wine, the name of the manufacturer, the year of manufacture, the grape variety, as well as the amount of sugar and alcohol.
There is, so to speak, a legal way to counterfeit a drink, in which a mark “made according to a recipe” that is difficult to see with the naked eye is placed above the bright and catchy inscription “Kindzmarauli”.
A bottle of real wine should not contain a lot of sediment.
A few words about the use
In principle, semi-sweet wines of Kakheti can be consumed with any meat dishes of Georgian cuisine. But, nevertheless, it is better not to do this. For the main feast in the homeland of the drink, there are excellent dry table options. Kindzmarauli, on the other hand, will look much more conceptual next to desserts or fruits.
The serving temperature of the drink can vary between 14-18°C (by the way, the ideal temperature for its storage in qvevri is 14°C). When consumed, classic red wine glasses are used, usually filled to a third. And of course, in such a case, a long beautiful toast is simply necessary.
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Relevance: 06.07.2017
Tags: wine and vermouth