Georgia(n) (wine) on my mind

Tonight we convened an "emergency tasting panel" of 6 couples for an opening of 7 Georgian red wines. One was labeled as “dry”, one as “semi-dry”, and 5 as “semi-sweet” (but really, all were semi-sweet.) Opinions and preferences were mixed, but despite the rather bizarrely sweet flavours, these were still considered drinkable beyond mere curiosity, and in some cases pleasant, even if only barely wine-like. The top 3, in no particular order, were the Pirosmani, the Saperavi, and the Kvanchkara.

All wines produced by “P.M. Georgia Ltd.” – all wines labeled as organically produced with alcohol content of 12%:

2004 Saperavi: “Dry” – Saperavi grape from Kakheti region. Nose of unidentified sweet red fruit (like fruit punch), Welch’s grape jelly, pomegranate, violets, grape stems, smoke, rubber, and latex. On the palate, light bodied, very little fruit. Mid-palate FELT like lemons. Astringent. Hints of sour cream and cheese. Yeast and barley on the finish, with a suggestion of hazelnuts.

2005 Pirosmani: “Semi-Dry” – Saperavi grape from Kakheti region. Nose of beef blood, gummy bears, kool-aid, “thumbs-up” (the Indian cola). On the palate, light body, tart, astringent, sour cherries, lightly sweet, touch of pepper.

2005 Odjaleshi: “Semi-Sweet” – Odjaleshi grape from west Georgia. Nose of cola, Dr. Pepper, red licorice, sweet incense (!). On the palate, medium to full body, light tannins. Fruit punch, fruit rollups, unripe persimmon.

2002 Kindzmarauli: “Semi-Sweet” – Saperavi grape from Kvareli district of Kakheti. On the nose, herbal, wild mint, mouldy grapes, jam. On the palate, medium bodied, JUICY JUICE!

2002 Kvanchkara: “Semi-Sweet” – no grape information, but from Racha region. On the nose, floral, fruit punch, cheese. On the palate, light bodied, delicate weight. Not as sweet as the other semi-sweets, but still sweet. Touch of acidity. Sasparilla and quinine notes.

2004 Alexandreuli: “Semi-Sweet” – no grape information, but from Racha region. On the nose, cherry cola and grape jelly, cherry Ludens cough drops. On the palate, cough syrup (without the alcohol), fruit punch, cola, root beer.

2002 Akhasheni: “Semi-Sweet” – Saperavi grape from Gurjaani district of Kakheti. On the nose, Sasparilla, cola, violets. On the palate, fruit punch, raspberry jam, overripe strawberries.