Satrapezo Icewine Rkatsiteli 2019
Ask a random Georgian in the streets of Tbilisi about the best winery in his country and chances are high he will say Telavi Marani Wine Cellar. This ambitious wine house has been producing high quality wines in an international style for years.
| Country | Georgia |
| Region | Kakheti |
| Wine maker | Telavi Marani Wine Cellar |
| Grape varieties | Rkatsiteli |
| Terroir | The grapes are harvested from one connected block in a vineyard near the village of Kondoli in the Georgian province of Kakhetia. The climate is warm to subtropical with dry summers and mild winters with frequent snow. |
| Harvest method | Handpicked. |
| Yield per hectare | 8 tons per hectare. |
| Vinification | The completely frozen Rkatsiteli grapes were picked at the beginning of December, when the outside temperature dropped to -9°C. At these temperatures, the water portion of each grape separates from the sugar, flavor and acid components. Only the water freezes and crystallizes. The grapes were harvested by hand early in the morning and sorted by hand in our winery. Damaged grapes were removed and the remaining fruit was gently pressed in the basket press. The fermentation took place for 2 months in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 16-18°C. The wine was then kept cold for 6 months at around 0°C. The wine was lightly filtered, bottled and aged in the bottle for 6 months. |
| Impression | Penetrating of dried apricots, peardrops and overripe peach. In the mouth this ice cream is very complex, uplifting with lively acidity of pineapple and peach and slightly filmy honey. |
| Did you know? | An ice wine can only be made here in cold winters. So it is a huge gamble for the winemaker to leave grapes hanging on the vines 'just in case...'. Usually no more than one small bottle of ice wine is made from an entire vine. |