Rkatsiteli 2024 is a lighter, 12.5% Georgian Amber natural wine crafted by Iberieli, in the Eastern Kakheti region. This WHITE wine is made with 100% Rkatsiteli grapes.
Expect it first to be white, not amber. It's very herbal, almost minty and the alcohol is for sure present. Serve with food rather than on it's own.
Iberieli is a family business run by Zurab Topuridze with wineries and vineyards in the Guria Region of West Georgia and in the Kakheti Region of East Georgia. The name Iberieli - which was chosen by Zurab's children - refers to the ancient people in Caucasus who made wine over several thousand years ago, these people later became Georgians and are believed to be the inventers of winemaking. Speaking of Zurab's children, they too actually make the label artwork!
The family's aim is to maintain authentic tradition of Kvevri wine making in Georgia, producing unique natural wines from native grapes and to set standards and true examples for their counterparts and friends. The business started off slow, selling only a couple of boxes of wine, but family and close friends jointly managed to grow business worldwide, currently selling in - US, France, UK, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Japan, Australia and Georgia.
Technical information on Rkatsiteli 2024 by Iberieli
MICRO) CLIMATE: Characterized by moderate humidity, hot summer and moderately cold winters. The average annual sum of precipitation is 845 mm, 644 mm in the vegetation period. Drought is an issue sometimes.
TERROIR: Teliani. Soil is stony alluvium, brownish grey, with sandy loam and calcium content (PH 8.5). Gentle slope (3%), exposure to south-east.
VITICULTURE: Trellis, vertical shoot positioning, grown mainly on bilateral cordons or arched canes. One-year-old seedlings planted in spring of 2015. Density: 3800 saplings/hectare.
YIELDS: Approximately 20 to 25 hectolitres (wine) per hectare.
- Harvest: Manual, early September
- Grape processing in winery: Straight crash into the Kvevri
- Fermentation philosophy: “Spontaneous” (indigenous yeast, naturally occurring)
- Fermentation time: Approximately 1 month
- Fermentation Vessel: Kvevri
- Maceration: Few days on full amount of grape must (skins, seeds, and stems); maceration vessel: Kvevri
- Maturation time (after alcoholic fermentation): Usually until August next year
- Maturation Vessel: Kvevri
- Sulphur – added ≈ 30mg/l during bottling.
