Reconnecting with ancient terroir w/ Irakli Gilauri, Gilauri Wine

As the birthplace of wine and the vinifera grape species, Georgia (the country), has wine deeply embedded in its culture. Yet, having survived conquest by three empires, fine wines are not the current norm in Georgia, where the Russian Communists focused on quantity over quality. Irakli Gilauri is launching Gilauri Wines to change that and to give wine collectors all over the world a chance to taste and connect with the best of the Ancient Terroir that is his home country of Georgia.

Detailed Show Notes:

Irakli’s background: public company CEO (Bank of Georgia, Georgia Capital), wine collector for 20 years, took UC Davis winemaking courses

Mission: to make a fine wine from Georgia that showcases the original terroir of wine

Georgia (the country) wine history

The birthplace of wine, 8,000 years agoWhere vitis vinifera originated (the broader South Caucasus region)Located between the Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea and Caspian Sea; between Russia, Turkey, and AzerbaijanOne of the only biodiversity hotspots with a mid-temperate climateMain wine region Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), ~85% of grapes grown there, similar to Napa as it sits between 2 mountain rangesMain grape is Saperavi, closest to vitis silvestris, one of the original vinifera grape varietiesWine is embedded deep in Georgian culture, people believe grapes and wine allowed it to survive 3 empires (Persian, Ottoman, and Russian) and keep their language, script, and faithThe “oldest wine cellar in the world”

~40k old bottles, from the early 1840s, including First Growth BordeauxsCollection of the Russian Romanovs (originally housed in St Petersburg)During WWII, Stalin moved the cellar into three places, including one in TbilisiGeorgian government is authenticating the wines and will auction some offGilauri Wines

Started w/ 10 grape varieties (incl Saperavi, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) in 5 locations, needed to conduct research on mapping terroir to deliver top quality because the Communists only cared about quantityStarted in 2022, but first vintage will be 2024, 2022 and 2023 wines will not be released as the quality was not high enoughHas the potential to produce 75k bottles, but 1st vintage will only be 1,800 bottles (1,200 Saperavi, 600 Chardonnay), with the rest bulked outWinegrowing is very different from the Georgian norm; focused on quality (e.g. - mixed Guyot pruning with only 1 cane, cover crops, green harvesting, 500L barrel fermentation, cold maceration for aromas (which canno