Wine region · Georgia
Imereti
Western Georgia, with a qvevri tradition distinct from Kakheti’s — less skin contact, lighter wines.
Amber wines that are lighter and less tannic than Kakhetian ones, with orchard fruit, herbs and a gentle grip.
About Imereti
Imereti lies in western Georgia, wetter and more humid than the east, and its qvevri tradition differs from Kakheti’s in a specific and important way.
The Kakhetian method ferments white grapes with all their skins and stems for months. The Imeretian method uses a much smaller proportion of skins and a shorter contact time, producing a lighter, less tannic amber wine.
That distinction matters because "Georgian amber wine" is often described as one thing. It is at least two, and the difference between them is larger than the difference between many European appellations.
Tsolikouri and Tsitska are the principal white varieties.
No authority delimits this name or attaches rules to it. A country’s major wine division, usually containing appellations or sub-regions beneath it. That does not make it less real or less useful — it means nothing legal follows from it, and you will not generally find it on a label as a controlled designation.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Kakheti — Georgia’s principal wine region, and the heartland of qvevri winemaking.
- Kartli — Central Georgia around Tbilisi, flatter and drier than Kakheti, and the base of most Georgian sparkling wine.
- Racha-Lechkhumi — A small mountainous region in north-west Georgia, known for naturally semi-sweet reds.
Sources
Sources consulted
- National Wine Agency of Georgia — National Wine Agency, Georgia
- Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method — UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — UNESCO