Forbes: Georgian wines among best beverages for 2015

Georgian wine is one of the best beverages to start drinking in 2015, prestigious American magazine Forbes suggests.

Forbes lifestyle supplement Forbes Life published the list of The 9 Best Wines and Spirits to Start Drinking in 2015. The publication asked a group of sommeliers, mixologists and writers what they wanted to imbibe more of in 2015, and what they would like to see more consumers try as well. Georgian wines were one of their top recommendations.

"They’re an exploration, a great way to open your mind to different worlds,” Wine Writer Alice Feiring told Forbes Life.

"The 2012 and 2013 vintages are better than ever.”

Forbes Life reported orange wine (made when white grapes are allowed more skin contact time after crushing) was a popular method here and "if you’ve never tried these wines,” Feiring believed "Georgia was the place to start”.

"Orange wines can sometimes be harsh with tannins and dried out,” she said.

"But these wines have juiciness and a great balance of fruit and structure. Close your eyes, pretend you’re drinking a red and you’ll love it.”

Feiring highly recommended wines from Alaverdi Monastery, Pheasant’s Tears and Iago’s Wine.

Current Georgia is probably the oldest wine region in the world. The fertile valleys of the South Caucasus, which Georgia straddles, are believed by many archaeologists to be the source of the world's first cultivated grapevines and neolithic wine production, over 8,000 years ago.

UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Along with the Georgian wines, the Forbes list also included Amaro, Nocino, Sherry, Washington Wines, Gin, Zinfandel, Rum and others.