ALL ABOUT US
Mshvenieradze Winery is a small, family-owned winery. We are from Tskhentaro, a village in Imereti region, situated in Zestaponi municipality. Ajameti forest which surrounds the village from the south noticeably affects its air and terroir. Tskhentaro is 25 km away from Kutaisi, Baghdati and Zestaponi. Tskhentaro, as a distinguished wine-producing village, has been on the map of Imereti wineries since 19th century. It is hard to tell what was there before. Our ancestors, like of all other families in the village, used to make wine in “Churi” (that is what we call clay pitcher in Imereti). Winemaking in Imereti is somewhere in between the traditions of European and Kakhetian winemaking - so, we put up to 30% of wine on grape skin.
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What is our wine like? - The way we are.
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CHURISTAVI
“Churistavi” - this is what we call the cellar in our region, which is mainly an open-air type. Our churistavi was also of an open type, resting in the shades of the quince trees. However, a few years ago we put some of our churi in a roofed cellar to make the wine care and aging process easier.​
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VINEYARDS
Our vineyard is not huge - it is about 1.5 ha – and one part of it is already 80 years old. From white grape varieties, you will find Tsitska and Tsolikouri there, while Dzelshavi and Otskhanuri Sapere are proud red ones. We take care of the vineyard the same way our ancestors did, that is not using either herbicides orpesticides and we try to preserve and promote its harmonious coexistence with its natural environment as much as possible.
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HARVEST
We usually have the vintage in early October. The vintage is held selectively. The harvested grapes are shortly taken to the cellar, where the bunches are being picked one by one, and then squeezed and put in Churi for fermentation.
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FERMENTATION
We usually produce white wine according to Imeretian traditions. Tsitska-Tsolikouri, harvested in the same vineyard, are squeezed together and left on 30% grape skin. The exception is Tsolikouri, which remains on full grape skin. We procrastinate the wine with grape skin for at least 6 months. With wild yeast fermentation process, also known as natural or spontaneous fermentation, we do not intervene in the wine-making and filtration, but rather let the yeast do the job of fermentation. We usually separate the wine from the grape skin in May and eventually transfer it into other churis, where it continues maturation until ifinally stabilizes. As for the red wine, after squeezing the juice remains on the full grape skin and the maceration lasts about 21 days, after which the grape skin is separated. After finalizing the malolactic fermentation, the wine is separated from the thick layer and is transferred to another churi for stabilization. Stabilized wines are bottled. This is how the process of birth and growth of our righteous wine looks like.
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NATURAL WINE ASSOCIATION
We are a member of the Natural Wine Association. The Association is a union of vinegrower and winemakers who are engaged only in organic (so called bio or biodynamic) viticulture and natural winemaking. Natural Wine Association was founded in February 2017 in Tbilisi by Georgian grape-growers and winemakers.
Natural wine means that the grape-grower/winemaker:
1. Builds and looks after the vineyard in accordance with bio (eco) requirements; looks after the environment and tries to create a self-sustaining eco system within the vineyard as much as possible.
2. When making the wine, does not use the methods and means that can essentially alter the wine’s natural organoleptic properties.
3. Recognizes the priority role of terroir in the wine production process and with his/her activities promotes accentuating the terroir properties.
4. Used labels should be truthful and they should fully reflect the wine’s origin.
The Association aims at supporting development of natural viticulture/winemaking in Georgia, through that we will be able to leave healthy and viable vineyards and ecosystems to future generations.
The association issues a mark (logo of the association), which confirms that the cellar works in organic viticulture and natural winemaking and fully complies with the rules established by the association.
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AND...
Our goal is to share our experience. Indeed, wine is our greatest experience. We treat our guests only with local products - whatever grows, is made or baked here - in other words, with natural rural products. We will be happy to show you our vineyard, explain how we take care of it, teach you how to clean a churi or let you participate in the winemaking process. You will be able to taste the wine from a churi or if you are with us while we distill the chacha, we might even have couple of shots together. And last but not the least - there is always a lot of exciting things to do in the village, so we are always happy to warmly greet you here, to show you around, to enroll you in any activity of ours, to share our experience with you during any season.