Ori Marani "Exile on Caucasus" 2023

Georgian-French winemaker collaboration, ancient grape varieties aged in traditional clay qvevri. Stone fruit, herbs, gentle tannin, electric energy. The Caucasus filtered through a modern lens.

Bastien Warskotte grew up in a Champagne winemaking family and trained at the University of Burgundy, with stints in Bordeaux, Provence, Australia and South Africa. He married Nino Gvantseladze, a Georgian, and makes wine in her country because, as he puts it, it is the home of wine. She runs the business. Ori Marani means two cellars.

Exile on Caucasus is Rkatsiteli, the white grape of eastern Georgia, from the Uroebi and Tsarapi vineyards. Most of the fruit is destemmed and spends two weeks on skins in qvevri, the rest is pressed straight off. It then rests in qvevri and old 350 litre French barrels, fermented on wild yeasts, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

It pours amber, with liquorice, yellow peach and hazelnut, a meaty white with real energy. Serve it cool rather than cold. Roast pork, walnut-heavy Georgian dishes or a hard cheese will all keep up.