The Washington Post: “You say ‘orange’ wines, the Georgians say ‘amber.’ Here are the ones you should know”

The Washington Post has published an article about Georgian amber wines, in which wine writer Dave McIntyre shares his own impressions of tasting some of Georgia’s ‘orange’ wine.

“Two amber wines I’ve found impressive are the Baia’s Wine 2016, made from an indigenous grape variety called tsolikouri. Kept on the skins for three months, this has more heft than most of the others and is delicious, with flavors of orchard fruits such as quince and pear. And Orgo winery’s Dila-O white, a blend of rkatsiteli and mtsvane grapes fermented and aged on the skins for one month, tastes like a delightful melon salad.

“If by now you’re noticing that I prefer these wines with less skin contact, well, you’re right. They make a delicious bridge between modern-style wines and the ancient traditions, ideal introductions to this style. For some, of course, the wines reach deeper into a national and cultural tradition”, wrote McIntyre.

In the article McIntyre also shortly described the history of Georgian amber wines.

“Orange wines are identified with the country of Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains, and are probably as old as wine itself. Georgia lays claim to being wine’s birthplace, with recent archaeological evidence dating back 8,000 years.

“These wines have been popular over the past decade or so because of the reemergence of Georgia as a major wine producer following independence from Soviet rule. The natural wine movement, in particular, has embraced these wines. But they are controversial, because they can be, well, really odd to our modern palates. That gives them a love ’em or hate ’em quality”, he wrote.

Read the full story here.