Name: 2001 Tbilviino Tsinandali
Grape:Rkatsiteli & Mtsvane
Region: Khaketi, Republic of Georgia
Price: $8.99
A strange mood overcame me last evening while I was shopping for our evening's wine, as I reached out for the specific bottle we’ve enjoyed again and again all summer I suddenly realized that I was in a rut. Here I am: wine professional, wine student, passionate wine enthusiast, buying the same old bottle I’ve tried many times before. On that note I put the lovely little tried and true gem back on the shelf and immediately headed over to the shelves of Eastern Europe.
Very few people, me included, know much about Eastern Europe. Soviet rule nearly destroyed what was once a wine Mecca, fortunately political changes in the last two decades are helping to encourage family business and agriculture, which brings us one step closer to enjoying Eastern European wines.
Georgia, the region just north of Turkey between the Black Sea and the High Caucasus, is the most important wine region in Eastern Europe. Georgia is thought to be the birthplace of wine, with archeological artifacts dating back to 3000 b.c.. In fact, Georgia still produces Khaketian wines in earthenware jugs much like their ancient brethren did thousands of years ago.
The 2001 Tsinandali by Tbilvino was an inexpensive and delicious treat. Rich and ripe with flavors of baked pear and apple bound together with ample acidity, the richness of the wine a perfect partner to a cooler fall-like evening. Rich enough to pair with a heartier meal, we enjoyed it with Pad-Thai and Chicken.
Store: Astor Wines & Spirits $8.99 (399 Lafayette @ 4th St.)
great post!
love the lesser knows . . .
ooooh, i LOOOOOOVE Eastern European wines!!!
these Georgian puppies are fantastic as are the Hungarian reds, and of course, my favorite, the Croatians!
they tend to so nicely balance acidity with fruit, and have a goregous rusticity to them, they're such a refreshing change from the BIG "parker" wines that are always everywhere.
Wow! Thank you. :)
I had a great wine from....Slovenia! ...at a chi-chi place in the Meatmarket (actually a townhouse where a bunch of drag queens had once lived, but that's off the point)...I made an attempt or two to find this wine in a couple larger wine stores but no luck....
yes, i had a yummy macedonian white (can't remember the grape) at the symposium restaurant on 113th street in nyc. it complemented the lemon and olive flavors of the food wonderfully.
I am from Georgia, and I start to work in that company, Tbilvino. If you were interested I could give some more information about the veraity of our wines and generally about the culture of our country
Diana