Situated in western Georgia, Imereti is rich in history, culture and diverse in nature, with mountains, caves, waterfalls, and canyons. It is bordered by the Likha ridge, Caucasus ridge and Meskheti mountains and most of the vineyards are found along the Rioni river valley. Imereti is divided into three zones upper, middle, and lower all of which have a unique climate and terroir (soils)

Imereti is famous for producing white wines and sparkling wines. Krakhuna one of the oldest indigenous white varieties in this region. Krakhuna literally means ‘crisp’. It is a challenging grape to grow, with thin skins and can be very susceptible to rot. It is harvested by hand and has low yields. With flavours of ripe banana, tropical fruit and honey, it has a crispy, crunchy texture and is used in blends with Tsolikouri and Tsitska. Qvevri or Churi, as they are known locally, are used in this region but notably the wines spend less time in qvevri and with less skin contact leading to delicate and elegant wines.

Other wines to look for from this region:

Tsitska – a lovely fresh fruity wine with flavours of quince, melon and pears, makes outstanding sparkling wines.

Tsolikouri – is planted throughout Imereti, medium to full bodied, a weighty wine, with soft acidity and flavours of citrus, stone fruit, and floral aromas.

Otskhanuri Sapere – a very distinctive ruby red colour with flavours of forest berries, plums, cherries, along with herbal notes.

Baia’s Wine

This winery was founded by three siblings Baia, Gvantsa and Georgi Abuladze. They have set about relearning, reviving, and developing the wine making methods that have been in their family for three generations. They are producing fantastic, organic, sustainable, biodynamic wines. Checkout all Baia’s wines by clicking on the wines tab above and searching Baia in the vineyard menu.