Saperavi is often compared to Malbec, Cabernet Franc and even Gamay depending on how it is made. In this case we are firmly in Malbec territory – a strikingly deep purple colour, bright and juicy with fresh crunchy dark berry flavours and perfectly balanced acidity.

There has been a winery in the village since the 1800s and to ensure that this long history of winemaking continued, Teliani Valley was established in the 1990s by a group of enthusiastic young winemakers. Originally a converted car workshop was their home, but with their tremendous vineyards and skill for making quality wines, they have gone from strength to strength and are now one of the biggest producers in Georgia, with annual production of 5 million bottles. Much of this is basic wine produced for the Russian market – Russia is right on their doorstep and they would be stupid not to – but they are astute enough to not want this to be the sum of what they do, and self-aware enough to imagine what could be possible if they develop the right philosophy for their business. Temuri Daksihvili, son of qvevri champion and one of the original founders of the company, Gogi Dakishvili, still oversees the production of the Glekhuri Qvevri wines, while at the Winery 97 facility, they have a team of innovative young winemakers who are given the time, equipment, fruit and support they need to create really exciting modern style wines, and we think some of that is evident in the selection we have here.

This wine is made from Georgias's indigenous grape variety – Saperavi, which is hand harvested from the Kakheti Region (East Georgia). Wine undergoes 7-10 days of fermentation on skins. Once fermentation is complete, skins are removed from the wine. 50,000 bottles were produced.

The wine pairs well with spicy sausage stew, a juicy burger and barbecued meats.