2022 Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi Kartli Georgian Republic
Why Georgian Wines?
Over 500 native grapes, clay-vessel winemaking older than Rome, and a modern renaissance - Georgia is the most original wine country you can drink right now.
8,000 Years in Clay
The qvevri - a beeswax-lined clay vessel buried to the neck - has fermented Georgian wine since 6,000 BC. Only about 5% of Georgian wine is made this way today, but it defines the country: skin-fermented amber whites, earthy and structured.
Wine Built for the Feast
The supra - Georgia's hours-long feast of toasts led by a tamada - is where these wines live: khachapuri, khinkali and walnut-rich dishes that demand wines with grip and freshness.
Straight From the Source
The producers we flag - Chateau Mukhrani, Vazisubani, Iago, Teliani - are the ones making clean, serious Georgian wine right now. Mukhrani's Saperavi is on our shelf as you read this.
A Wine Journey Through Georgia
Ten regions, thirty protected appellations - and one valley that grows half the country.
Kakheti
The southeast powerhouse: over half of Georgia's grapes, and the home of Mukuzani (oak-aged Saperavi) and Tsinandali (Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane white). Bold reds, structured ambers.
Kartli
Central Georgia around Tbilisi - the bridge between tradition and technology: qvevri wines beside modern stainless whites and even sparkling from Chinuri. Home of Chateau Mukhrani, the old royal estate.
The West: Imereti to Racha
Fresher, lighter wines: Tsitska and Tsolikouri whites in Imereti, and in tiny Racha, the prized semi-sweet red Khvanchkara. High-altitude plots climb the Caucasus foothills.
Georgian Wine, Answered
What makes Georgian wine unique?
It's the oldest winemaking culture on earth - 8,000 years - built on clay qvevri fermentation and more than 500 native grapes, most of which grow nowhere else. The result is wine that tastes like nowhere else: amber whites with tannin, inky Saperavi reds.
What is a qvevri (and what is amber wine)?
A qvevri is a large clay vessel buried underground, where whole grapes ferment on their skins for months. Whites made this way turn amber - structured, earthy, unfiltered. Only about 5% of Georgian wine is made in qvevri today, and the best of it is remarkable.
What grapes should I know?
Three cover most of it: Rkatsiteli (crisp, versatile white - over half the harvest), Mtsvane (aromatic, Sauvignon-like white) and Saperavi (Georgia's flagship red - a rare red-juiced grape that makes black, bold wines).
What is a supra?
Georgia's legendary feast: hours of food, wine and rounds of toasts led by a tamada (toastmaster). It's the reason Georgian wines are built the way they are - fresh, structured and endlessly food-friendly. As the proverb goes: every guest is sent from God.
Does Big Hammer Wines carry Georgian wine?
Yes - the 2021 Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi from Kartli is in stock now, from the historic royal estate founded in 1878. Georgian allocations are small; when the next one clears our 90+ bar, it lands on this page.
