Kondoli, Saperavi
£23.00
Out of stock
WINEMAKER : Kondoli
REGION : Kakheti, Georgia
GRAPE : Saperavi 100%
VINTAGE : 2019
ABV : 14.5%
We’re huge fans of Georgian wine at Opheem. In part because our Head Sommelier- Stefan- hails from there and if you’ve ever visited your restaurant there is a big chance that he will have tried to sneak you a little secret from his country’s selection. It’s the birthplace of wine and a great example of winemaking being in their blood. Saperavi is Georgias fantastic native great and makes up most of the known reds. It’s a strong, acidic red grape and is great for growing in high altitude in land places such as Kakheti, where this wine maker is based. Deep red in colour and gives a punchy fruity and spicy nose with touches of black berries balanced with a hint of smoke, chocolate and liquorice that starts to come through. To taste it’s superbly balanced with big rich flavours while maintaining a lovely structure alongside smoother tannins. It really shows the confidence of its people who have been making wine for hundreds of years showcasing subtle depth as a result. Perfect for spicy, hearty dishes with good fat content and absolutely smashes it with something with a bit of smoke or BBQ. Think proper traditional Kormas or a Rogan Josh.
WINEMAKER : Kondoli
REGION : Kakheti, Georgia
GRAPE : Saperavi 100%
VINTAGE : 2019
ABV : 14.5%
We’re huge fans of Georgian wine at Opheem. In part because our Head Sommelier- Stefan- hails from there and if you’ve ever visited your restaurant there is a big chance that he will have tried to sneak you a little secret from his country’s selection. It’s the birthplace of wine and a great example of winemaking being in their blood. Saperavi is Georgias fantastic native great and makes up most of the known reds. It’s a strong, acidic red grape and is great for growing in high altitude in land places such as Kakheti, where this wine maker is based. Deep red in colour and gives a punchy fruity and spicy nose with touches of black berries balanced with a hint of smoke, chocolate and liquorice that starts to come through. To taste it’s superbly balanced with big rich flavours while maintaining a lovely structure alongside smoother tannins. It really shows the confidence of its people who have been making wine for hundreds of years showcasing subtle depth as a result. Perfect for spicy, hearty dishes with good fat content and absolutely smashes it with something with a bit of smoke or BBQ. Think proper traditional Kormas or a Rogan Josh.
WINERY & PRODUCTION
Often debated, but rarely with Stef, Georgia is the birthplace of wine and Kondoli were mentioned as far back as the 1700s for producing great wine. This vineyard are held as the stndard to showcase quality of the Kakheti region and Kondoli are based in the stunning Alazani River Valley. To produce their 100% Saperavi (all from their vineyard), one selected block are green harvested in at the start of August to allow for better ripening of the remaining grapes for when they’re hand picked at the end of september. The producer sticks to the traditional methods, as you would expect, by hand sorting and then gentle destemming before fermenting in open lid 225 litre barriques. No modern machinery used here and you can taste the difference. After a long 20 day maceration, the wines then moved to closed oak barriques and aged for 12 months with a further 6 months in the bottle.