Contents:
- Geographical location of Kindzmarauli
- Climate of Kindzmarauli
- Soils of the Kindzmarauli microzone
- Grape varieties and winemaking technologies in Kindzmarauli
- Tasting of Kindzmarauli Winery Khareba at the WineParis exhibition
Who doesn’t know about Kindzmarauli! Even if you haven’t tried this semi-sweet red wine, you’ve probably heard something about it. Why did it gain such wide recognition on the Russian market? I’ll tell you in this article.
Geographical location of Kindzmarauli
The Kindzmarauli microzone is located in the southeast of Georgia, in the Kvareli administrative district of Inner Kakheti. And, like many microzones of Georgia, it is located in a favorable interval between 30 and 50 latitudes.
Vineyards
The vineyards are located at an altitude of 250-550 meters above sea level on the left bank of the Alazani River. Here, literally on the opposite, you can see other vineyards of the no less famous name of Tsinandali.
The territory of the name Kindzmarauli, which occupies 640 hectares, covers part of the Alazani Valley, rising to the north, to the southern foothills of the Caucasus. And its territory also includes a transitional area between the plain and the mountains, which is low hills. They originate from the right bank of the Duruzhi River and extend to the west.
It should be noted that the vineyards in this hilly area, as in the foothills of the Caucasus, are oriented to the south, southeast and southwest, which allows for more sunlight and heat.
Alazani Tributaries
In addition, the Kindzmarauli microzone is crossed by several Alazani tributaries – Duruzhi, Bursa, Chelta, Intsoba, Avanishevi and Shorokhevi. The microzone is not limited to the right bank of the Alazani, it also extends along the banks of these tributaries.
The proximity to waterways, albeit small ones, also affects the macroclimate – it slightly increases humidity and reduces the temperature difference between seasons. So it becomes a little warmer in winter, and a little cooler in summer.
Kindzmarauli Climate
Kindzmarauli’s climate is moderate, with long warm summers and not very cold winters. The amount of sunlight is measured at 2050 hours, which, combined with the southern orientation of the slopes and special soils (which I will talk about a little later), is enough for the Saperavi variety to ripen.
Mountain ranges and the Caucasus Mountains
A special feature of the Kindzmarauli microzone is the influence of the surrounding mountain ranges. They close the vineyards in the north, northwest and partly in the south, thus leaving only one open side – in the southeast. Such a configuration generates frequent, although not very strong winds, blowing through the territory of Kindzmarauli in the western or southeastern direction.
It is worth noting separately the influence of the Caucasus Mountains on the macroclimate of Kakheti. Cold air masses descending from the peaks at night increase the risk of frost in spring and autumn. But, in addition, they contribute to the production of quality grapes.
In fact, in the Kindzmarauli microzone during the ripening period of grapes it is very warm, and even hot. And cold mountain winds provide a wide amplitude between night and day air temperatures, which allows the grapes to ripen well and accumulate sugar, and at the same time – not to lose their acidity, thanks to the night coolness.
Temperature and precipitation
The average annual temperature here is +12.5°C, the average temperature in the hottest months is +23.6°C, and in the coldest +1°C.
In December, snow cover appears, which melts around the end of March. At the same time, the risk of spring frosts, dangerous for newly opened buds, remains until April. Hail is less of a threat, but nevertheless, sometimes happens, and most often – in May.
Most of the precipitation, which is about 1000 mm per year, occurs in late autumn – early winter, and the summer months are usually dry, which has a positive effect on the flowering and ripening of grapes.
Old part of Telavi, capital of Kakheti (Credit photo: Anna Bogush, © Adobe Stock)
Soils of the Kindzmarauli microzone
The grapes here owe their exceptional ripeness and sugar content, and at the same time a good level of acidity, not only to the very warm climate and cool winds, but also to the southern orientation of the slopes and special soils made of black shale deposited by the Duruji River. These dark alluvial soils heat up better in the sun than light soils (their surface temperature is 3-5 degrees higher) and, cooling down in the evening, slightly increase the temperature of the vineyard. Thus, in warmer conditions, more sugar accumulates in the grapes, which, together with the preserved harmonious acidity, allows you to get a harvest (and wine) of high quality.
Of the other soils in Kindzmarauli, there are alluvial of various types, mainly containing loam. They are distinguished by the presence of limestone and stony components. Alluvial soils of the Kindzmarauli microzone are mainly on the plains and cover the valley of the Alazani River (and the closer the area is to the river bank, the more gravel and small stones its soil contains).
The subsoil in the river valleys consists of sand and gravel deposited by rivers from the southern foothills of the Caucasus. And the most important component of Kindzmarauli soils – black shale, appeared in the same way.
Here you can also find deluvial soils with different proportions of clay, limestone and the ability to retain moisture. They are located in the southern foothills of the Caucasus, on the southern and southwestern slopes, at an altitude of 400-500 meters above sea level. The basis of deluvial soils found in the foothills is loam and sand, which appeared not as a result of the flow of mountain rivers, but the spontaneous movement of water and landslides. They have significant depth and a fertile layer of humus, but differ in the structure and amount of limestone and gravel.
Grape varieties and winemaking technologies in Kindzmarauli
Kindzmarauli is produced exclusively from the Saperavi variety.
The wine has a deep color, a very ripe, even jammy aroma of cherries, plums and red currants, as well as pomegranate, tobacco and spices. This semi-sweet wine, despite all its “sweetness” in aroma, is not cloying, but on the contrary, is a harmonious, soft and pleasant drink. This effect is achieved due to the natural acidity of Saperavi, which allows you to balance the sweetness and density of the wine itself, which it acquires due to the maturity and sugar content of the grapes.
In the production of Kindzmarauli, modern and traditional technologies are used.
- In the case of using modern technology, fermentation is stopped artificially – by cooling, adding sulfites and filtration after about seven days from the start of fermentation. The wine is also filtered and stabilized before bottling to avoid re-fermentation in the bottle.
- The traditional method uses qvevri, where fermentation stops by itself as a result of the decrease of temperature in the fall. This method is called Kakhetian, since in Imereti vinification also takes place in qvevri, but in a slightly different way.
Currently, you can find wines of the name Kindzmarauli, produced both by the traditional Kakhetian and modern methods.
Tasting Kindzmarauli Winery Khareba at the WineParis exhibition
Sweet Georgian wines are not so easy to find when you are in Bordeaux. By the way, sweet wines are generally unpopular now, so selling Georgian sweet wines, which are less famous than French ones, is not the easiest thing to do. Therefore, my only opportunity to try them was the Wine Paris exhibition.
I discovered this wine at the stand of one of the largest and most famous wineries in Georgia, Winery Khareba, where I also tried wines from rare autochthonous Georgian varieties, almost unknown outside of Georgia. But more on that in a separate article.
And now about the wine itself:
- Kindzmarauli from Khareba winery is produced in a modern way and has pleasant and balanced taste characteristics.
- The color of the wine is deep, of purple hue.
- I would describe the intensity of the aromas as “above average”, they are quite multifaceted and pronounced.
- Kindzmarauli from Khareba winery tastes harmonious, rich, but it is easy and pleasant to drink.
- The level of residual sugar in this semi-sweet wine (about 40 g / l out of 30-50 g / l allowed) is complemented by good natural acidity of Saperavi (on the scale, its level is above average), which allows the wine to be harmonious, and not cloyingly sweet.
- The same acidity together with soft and fine-grained, velvety tannins (medium level, without excesses) goes well with the average alcohol level, which is allowed in the region of 10.5-12%.
- The combination of acidity and sweetness creates the impression of a wine with medium body, especially due to the residual sugar and noticeable, enveloping tannins.
- Bright, pronounced taste, with notes of cherry, plum and strawberry jam, flowers (rose, violet), black pepper and with a slight mineral, earthy hint (according to the official definition – with a touch of wet stones) continues to be felt in a long aftertaste. This signifies high-quality, ripe grapes that were used to produce this wine.
This organoleptic profile reminded me a little of the famous fortified wines – Portuguese port (porto) and southern French Banyuls (Banyuls), with the difference that Kindzmarauli has a significantly lower alcohol content and therefore the wine seems lighter.
I will note that due to the natural acidity of Saperavi, Kindzmarauli seemed to me closer to Porto Ruby than to Banyuls Rimage. Both of these wines are partially similar in terms of bouquet and production (without long aging in barrels, due to which there are no oak aromas in them at all), but the Portuguese variety Touriga National has higher acidity than Grenache, used in the production of Banyuls.
Overall, if we put aside my personal preferences (I prefer dry wine to any, even slightly sweet), Kindzmarauli from Khareba winery is a very good quality wine, with a balanced sugar level, soft tannins, good concentration and a long finish.
Occasion to drink and matching with food
It is probably difficult to make a global conclusion on this topic based on just one wine, which represents only one production method (the Kindzmarauli that I tried was made using modern technology in stainless steel vats, and I did not notice a Kindzmarauli produced in qvevri on the stands).
As for pairing the drink with food, I would suggest choosing duck with cherry sauce, where the sweetness of the dish and similar taste characteristics would complement the taste of the wine, and the soft velvety tannins would be just right for the red meat, the texture of which is more tender than that of beef. Another idea is lingonberry sauce, also for duck, quail or veal. And if you really want something original, then red tuna can also be an interesting option, however, it is important to keep in mind that the presence of tannins in wine is not particularly friendly to fish and can result in an unpleasant metallic taste.
And, by the way, with everyone’s favorite, but not always ideal combination of “cheese + red wine” there is a slightly larger choice here. The slightly piquant taste of hard cheeses, such as aged sheep’s cheese Ossau Iraty or aged goat cheese, as well as Gruyere or Comté, could interestingly and delicately emphasize the flavors of wine (and vice versa). I would leave sharp and salty blue cheeses for a sweeter Sauternes, and Camembert for a dry white wine. In the first case, the taste of the cheese can interrupt the wine, and in the second, the white crust with mold can give it bitterness and unfavorably emphasize the tannins.
Aging
If we consider only Kindzmarauli from the Khareba winery, we can say that this wine is more suitable for drinking in its youth, while it has bright aromas of fresh berries and fruits. Over time, they may be supplemented with tertiary aromas, for example, dried cherries and dried flowers, but the wine will certainly lack secondary aromas and tannins from aging in oak and the tertiary notes of tobacco and cedar that appear from them. So I would recommend tasting Kindzmarauli during the first 5 years after production.
In conclusion of this article about the Kindzmarauli microzone, I will say that the combination of its unique location at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, warm climate and special soils containing black shale, capable of heating up in the sun and giving off heat to the vines, allows for the production of perfectly ripe grapes with a high sugar content and at the same time with a high level of acidity, from which the same unique and special wines are obtained.
Photo khareba taken from the site: https://www.lesrobesdelest.com/nos-vins/georgie/domaine-khareba-vins-de-georgie-region-kakheti/
