2023 Gurashvili - Rkatsiteli Qvevri (750ml)

Eight thousand years of winemaking tradition in a bottle — and one of the most genuinely thrilling and culturally significant wine experiences on the shelf. Gurashvili is a small Georgian family producer crafting traditional amber wines from Kakheti, the ancient cradle of viticulture in eastern Georgia, using the UNESCO-recognized qvevri method that has defined this region's winemaking since long before the pyramids were built. Whole clusters are crushed and fermented together with skins, stalks, and pips in large clay vessels buried underground — sealed and left to mature for months — emerging transformed into something that defies all conventional wine expectations.

Made traditionally in qvevri with extended skin contact, Rkatsiteli becomes a full-bodied amber wine of extraordinary complexity — dried apricot, walnut skin, orange peel, tobacco leaf, and tea-like tannins leading to a long, mineral finish — nothing like any white wine you have ever tasted, yet utterly compelling and food-friendly in a way that will genuinely surprise you. The Kakhetian qvevri style delivers a full, structured body with chewy, tea-like tannins balanced by lively acidity and layers of dried yellow fruits, confected citrus, and lingering spice — more reminiscent of a serious red wine in texture than anything from the conventional white wine world. Unfiltered, unmanipulated, and deeply authentic — for the curious and the adventurous, this is an essential and revelatory pour