AMIRAN'S WINE CELLAR
Amiran Vepkhvadze’s Wine Cellar is located in the Imiretian village of Zestafoni in West Georgia. An attorney by trade, Amiran Vepkhvadze inherited a few hectares of Otskhanuri Sapere, a rare, indigenous varietal found only in Western Georgia. It was planted by his father and the vines are pergola trained in order to counter the humid conditions characteristic of the region. For years he sold the grapes to a large local winery. What they would pay gradually decreased until Amiran decided to start making his own wine. It remains one of the largest contiguous plots of the grape variety.
His vines are planted in fields near his home as well as in the nearby villages of Kinoti and Kldeeti: he grows white grapes Tsitska, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, and the black grape Otskhanuri Sapere. Fermentation and aging of organically-farmed grapes occur in beeswax-lined kvevri. The wines receive no filtration or chemical addition.