Bedoba Orange Wine

Bedoba translates to `Day of Luck’. The original winery, whose cellars date back to 1737, was founded by the Konchosvilli family who had a close relationship with the church (`koncho` means cross). Winemakers Nugzar Ksovreli and Thierry Fontannaz honour this history on Bedoba’s label, with the icon of Saint Nina, whose apostolic work has contributed to the spread of Christianity in Georgia.

Bedoba’s Saperavi grapes hail from vines with an average age of 30 years old. These are planted in the renowned wine region of Kakheti (near the eastern border with Azerbaijan) in the Kvareli and Kindzmarauli appellations along the Duruji River valley. The soils here are rich in black shale and the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains provide elevations of over 400 metres, creating fresh acidity and soft tannins. Bedoba embraces sustainable and organic practices, alongside hand-harvesting and careful sorting of the dark-skinned, red-fleshed Saperavi grapes.

A small percentage of the grapes are whole bunch fermented, while another is left to dry naturally on the vines until November, ensuring a fine balance of the grape's savoury and spicy characteristics. Stainless steel tanks and clay qvevri are used for fermentation, exemplifying the blend of innovation and tradition employed by Ksovreli and Fontannaz. The resulting wine is then aged in second and third fill American oak barrels barrels and 5,000-litre wooden vats, before a further 12 months in bottle, to create a seamless texture.

Rkatsiteli, Kisi

Bedboba Orange is made from 70% Rkatsiteli and 30% Kisi, which are Georgian grape varieties with unique characteristics. The Rkatsiteli comes from 25 year old vines grown on 8 metres of blue slate soil. This lends the grapes a very strong personality and concentration. The Kisi grapes come from younger vineyards, planted closer to the hill in a cooler microclimate on limestone soil.

The Rkatsiteli was harvested at the end of October to achieve fully developed aromatics while the Kisi was harvested at the beginning of October to secure a distinct freshness. Both were harvested by hand. In the cellar, the Rkatsiteli went directly into qvevri amphoras as whole bunches. Fermentation was carried out with only indigenous yeasts, with regular punch downs. Following fermentation, the top of the qvevri was closed and the wine was stored until March of the following year. During this time, malolactic fermentation was carried out. In March, the wine was pressed and transferred to a new qvevri for ageing. About 10% of the wine was transferred to new oak barrels. The Kisi was fully destemmed and fermented at 16°C in stainless steel tanks, where the wine was filtered after alcoholic fermentation to prevent malolactic fermentation.

This wine mesmerizes with flavours of dried apricot, honey, orange peel, and wild herbs. It has a captivating texture and complexity.