Marshall was already in love with Georgian wines before he encountered these. Now he’s 100% beguiled.
DoReMi Mitsvane & DoReMi Saperavi
Since first trying Georgian wine several years ago, I’ve been in love. I’m not talking about wine from the southern state, but from the eastern European nation that borders the Black Sea and Russia. At the time, I had no idea that Georgia produced wine, let alone that they had been doing it for longer than the pyramids have been standing. All I knew when I picked up that first bottle was that it looked cool and was reasonably priced. The wine was red and came in a kitschy clay bottle, so my expectations were not high, but that first taste erased all my doubts. The wine was delicious.
Since then, I’ve bought every bottle of Georgian wine I’ve encountered and have scoured the scene looking for the best to bring into the shop. Thus, I present to you DoReMi, from the Kakheti region of Georgia, one of 25 Protected Designations of Origin in the country. DoReMi is a natural wine producer that sticks to the 8,000-year-old wine-making traditions of the region: they use organic farming methods, wild yeast, and they age their wine on the skins in Qvevri — massive clay amphorae that they bury underground during fermentation.
When I tell you these are the best Georgian wines I’ve had, I mean it. The red wine, a Saperavi, which is Georgia’s primary red varietal, is big, rich, elegant, and incredibly nuanced — think dark fruit, firm tannins, and a ton of minerality. I gave my roommate a glass and he immediately said, “This is the wine I want for Thanksgiving.” The other offering we bring to you is an orange wine made of Mtsvane, a commonly planted white varietal. This wine is full, rich, gorgeous. I think of dried apricots, figs, and nuts when I taste it; there are just so many layers here.
These wines are also incredibly food-friendly. Try with all manner of holiday fare — roasts, duck, ham, turkey — or get a bottle and one of the exceptional Marczyk deli sandwiches and transport yourself to paradise. I’m not kidding when I say these are some of the best wines I’ve had in the eight years I’ve been in this industry. Don’t sleep on these. Gaumarjos!
DoReMi Mitsvane
$28.99/btl
DoReMi Saperavi
$28.99/btl
