WTN: 2003 Vinoterra Saperavi

Georgian wine! Fermented in clay amphorae. A first for me. Not quite as bizarre a wine as the unusual grape or fermentation technique would suggest.

We have a very, very soft, very earthy wine with flavors of red plum and sour cherry. The earthyness really stands out. Could have been served colder, alas. Still, the softness and mouthfeel were quite lovely for a rather simple quaffer.

This might be the first time I've seen Saperavi described as soft! My experiences (both from tasting and reading) have suggested they are usually (though, admittedly my tasting experience is limited to about a dozen, so don't take that part very seriously!) high in both acid and tannin. But then I just read from the most trusted source of all, Wikipedia, that it is a thin skinned variety - so why my experiences of much tannin? Does it matter that it is a teinturier-grape?

Anyway, we have one now from Askaneli, which is only 10€ and is a delightfully tangy red - if I don't find anything else interesting (as is sadly often the case), I buy one of these. I think I really love the grape, but I would desperately need to try more!

I expected a lot bigger tannic kick myself, Otto.

Maybe heat damage at some point in its life?

Certainly plenty of fruit, but not in a California way.

The shop had a second example. Maybe I need to experiment?