How to distinguish a real Kindzmarauli from a fake?

Kindzmarauli is a cult Georgian wine, which became famous thanks to one historical figure – Stalin. At one time, he made a good marketing promotion for Georgian wines, in particular, Kindzmarauli. And by the way, they began to make this wine in the 1940s. Imagine, in the midst of the Second World War, the leader suddenly began to be in dire need of high-quality Georgian wine. And for the sake of this, Georgia even revived a centuries-old tradition, which was almost destroyed under the Soviets.
Kindzmarauli was initially made in limited editions – only for the party elite, and labeled as wine No. 2. An ordinary Soviet person did not have the opportunity to try Kindzmarauli. But this wine was always in abundance on the table of the leader.

Kindzmarauli is a semi-sweet red wine made from Saperavi grapes. And according to the norms of Georgian legislation, it is allowed to take only grapes grown in the Kindzmarauli microzone, located in Kakheti. This is an important clarification, because wine made in other regions of Georgia is not in fact Kindzmarauli, even if it is written so on the label. And it is equally important that it is made only from Saperavi grapes, without adding other varieties.

Another characteristic feature of Kindzmarauli is its natural sweetness. In order for it to be born, the grapes must gain quite a lot of sugar content – at least 22%. That is why the wine turns out to be semi-sweet, specially sugar can not be added there. That is, winemakers face a very difficult task – to ensure that the grapes ripen properly and are sweet enough. Fortunately, this is largely facilitated by the climate of the Kindzmaraul microzone. This area is located on the right bank of the Duruja River, and in summer it is quite hot and dry. So the grapes fully ripen and turn out to be as sweet and juicy as possible.

After begins the most interesting thing – the production of wine using Kakhetian technology. They make Kindzmarauli an old Georgian “grandfather” way – that is, in kvevri. These are such clay vessels of conical shape, buried in the ground. Georgians made wine in them in prehistoric times starting from about the 6th century BC. That is, this is a traditional Georgian vessel and concurrently a national pride.

 

Kvevri, by the way, is officially considered a cultural heritage of Georgia and is included in the UNESCO register. The production technology of Kindzmarauli is ingeniously simple. Grapes are crushed and placed in a vessel along with pulp, skin and other cake. In wine-making parlance, this is called “mezga” and is usually removed after a stampede, but not in the case of Kindzmarauli! Because in this case it is very important to ferment and age the wine on the pulp, which in Georgia is called the “mother of wine”. It is thanks to this that the drink eventually turns out to be very saturated and dense – it “pulls” from the skin and pulp a maximum of aromatic and flavoring substances.

 

When the wine is actively fermented, the pulp cap rises up under the influence of carbon dioxide. And then it settles to the bottom – and thanks to this, the Georgians understand that the wine has fermented away. Then they seal it all in the same kvevri, covering the neck with clay. And in this form, the drink ripens at least until spring, and if there is a goal to make aged wine – then several years. Then the vessel is printed, the drink is removed from the sediment and bottled. The result is a wine of bright dogwood color with a dense texture.

It has a rich aroma with tones of cherry pit, ripe raspberries and black currants. The taste is velvety and viscous, with bright fruity and berry notes and a long aftertaste. It is because of this characteristic taste and aroma that many Georgian winemakers are desperately envious of those who have a plot in the Kindzmarauli microzone.
Many people have tried to recreate this wine in their regions. Whatever they did, they planted cuttings and even adult vines, replanted the soil, used qvevri and exactly the same technology. It doesn’t work. To protect Kindzmarauli from counterfeiting, georgian authorities in 2010 passed a law on the appellation of goods by geographical origin. That is, this wine is officially forbidden to be made outside the specified microzone.

What will you drink this wine with?

Kindzmarauli literally “asks” for a couple of meat. It can be barbecue, steak, fried ribs. And it is desirable to serve some sauce to the meat – this wine will help it to open up and supplement with new notes.
But in addition to meat, you can take something and cheeses, such as suluguni. And by the way, Kindzmarauli goes well with khachapuri and other dishes where there is melted cheese. And it can be drunk with desserts – due to the natural sweetness, this wine favorably emphasizes their taste.