INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 TELIANI VALLEY (GEORGIA) SAPERAVI $17.99

Ever on the search for great quality wine from anywhere around the world, we travel to the often forgotten but historically important region of Georgia for this week's wine. Situated between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, the winemaking culture here is among the oldest in the world, with evidence tracing back over eight thousand years. Politics have hindered the development of the industry more than potential quality, as the connection to the Soviet Union put much of its modern existence behind the Iron Curtain, inhibiting modern techniques and new markets outside of Moscow and other major cities. Even though the wines were reduced to mostly bulk production, Georgia has always maintained a higher reputation for potential quality, and as they have become an increasingly independent state they have looked to capitalize. Saperavi is probably the best known red grape in Georgia and the other countries around the two inland European seas, one of the few native grapes with a healthy and positive reputation for long term aging. Thanks to some of the modern techniques that have arrived in recent years, those hearty and rougher edges can be polished off a bit to make a wine that has more immediate gratification, enabling more wines to get bought and sold quickly in the world market and have more consumers trying these tasty wines.

Deep, inky purple color in the glass, with a first whiff to match that's filled with dark spice and almost sweet blackberry jam tones. The longer it is open, the more savory it grows, with somewhat garrigue-like spice that calls to mind a COtes du Rhone with a lot of Syrah and Mourvedre in the blend. In the mouth the texture feels as rich as you would expect from the look and aromas, but the tannins are surprisingly forgiving and the fruit characters are not sweet at all. In fact, most of the lingering flavors through the finish are tart black cherry and even citrusy with a flash of nervy acidity at the end. A great wine to pair with hearty comfort foods, stews and roasts and the like.

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