Wines of Georgia – Georgian Wines 201: Deep Dive into the West

Please join us on Wednesday, May 26 for the second in our series of virtual seminar-tastings focused on Georgian wine.

Building on the foundation we laid out in our introductory overview, this next session will offer a deep dive into three distinct macro-terroirs and attendant winemaking styles in the western half of the country.

Beginning in the upper reaches of Imereti and mountainous Racha to the north, we'll swoop down into the warmer, flatter Imeretian lowlands before heading further west, out to the lush semi-tropical regions of Samegrelo and Guria. Along the way, we'll be taking a close look at the most important autochthonous varieties in western Georgia, the various approaches to viticulture and vinification and the broader ongoing evolution in these endlessly fascinating corners of the Georgian Wine Universe.

The course will be led by LA-based wine educator Taylor Parsons, who will be joined by one of Georgian wine's undisputed masters, Iago Bitarishvili. This time, though, they will be joined by two very special guests: Keto Ninidze, one of western Georgia's star winemakers and the woman behind Oda Family Marani, and Aiden Raftery, an English sommelier and wine importer who made the move to Imereti a few years back to make Georgian wine full-time under his Igavi label.

Email: georgia@marqwine.com to request participation form (due to limited number of tasting kits)