Baia’s Wine, Imereti (Georgia) Tsolikouri 2019

 Georgia has a rich wine heritage that stretches back 8,000 years.  Qvevri (pronounced kev-ree), giant clay vessels buried beneath the earth, still make wine in Georgia today.  To taste history in a glass, look no further than Baia’s Wine 2019 Tsolikouri.  Baia Abuladze and her siblings bring new life to a region largely forgotten by most American wine drinkers.  The Tsolikousi is made in qvevri and spends extended time on the skin to give the wine a delicate amber color.  In the glass, it has aromas and flavors of tangerines, clementines, and apricots with hints of white blossom and honey.  It is a crisp, refreshing wine with minerality, a floral lift, and a lovely tannic prickle on the long finish.