Once at one wine exhibition in Tbilisi, one man said, everybody writes about wine, its flavors, they use beautiful words that wine is God’s drink and etc, but they really don’t know what wine is. It was a bit unusual for me at that time, but today I got the clue when visited Gvardzelashvili family winery in village Kondoli, between Telavi and Tsinandali.

Meeting was so warm, before tasting his wine you could guess how aromatic the wine would be. We were led in Marani, where qvevries were put in the ground. He started singing, explaining when he is not in a good mood, he never comes in Marani. Wine can guess the mood and it might effect on it. He puts his ear on qvevry-wine listens, wine hears, it is a living organism! He continues singing and opens qvevry where wine boils with skin. It needs stirring so our guest, sommelier from South Africa is participating in winemaking.

After that wine tasting and sharing experience start with many interesting stories. Winemaking runs in Ghvardzelashvili’s family. He remembers, many years ago there was an earhquake in Georgia, when one of the qvevries was cracked. When his grandpa opened it all wine had been gone. He suffered so much that he didn’t eat and talk for a month. Today it is in his yard as a memorabilia.

I got up very early today, pressed wine, and shows his hands having the colour of red wine, but still finds energy to entertain guests and sings for them…

I started winemaking 5 years ago, at first my beginnings were humble as I produced Bio wines, he said. Today my wines are available in Germany, Holand and America. One variety of the wine is already sold in New York until 2021.

After leaving the Marani I receive my guest’s message: It was beyond my expectations…

If you want not only taste wine but have the experience beyond your expectations visit Giorgi and try his wines -Jgia, Budeshuri… All these wines are rare and bio! All his stories are interesting and funny and your good mood lasts as long as good wine’s taste in the mouth…

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