Georgia’s Best Food & Wine Pairings

Forget the passport, the best wine and food pairings highlight the depth and breadth of culinary traditions from your home. In Georgia, one of the oldest wine-making regions in the world, this is especially true. Still, the subheadings of wine and food pairings beyond grilling a great steak and red wine can seem daunting. Add in an international curve ball like thousands of years of winemaking traditions and a paired dinner can be an insurmountable goal. That is, however, unless you consult experts like Jonathan Nelms, owner of Supra and Tabla in Washington DC. The word “supra” means tablecloth in Georgian, but it refers to a multi-course feast with very simple rules: the table must be covered with dishes and serve dishes as a tablecloth. The dinner is full of cheers, dancing, singing and lots and lots of libations.

Georgia is located between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea and borders Turkey and Russia where winemaking records date back at least 8,000 years. The oldest wines were made with egg-shaped ceramic vessels, or qvevri, made especially for the purpose and are still used today. These massive clay pots were buried underground and filled with crushed grapes including juice, skin and stems. Due to the shape of the qvevri, more than a few months, those skins and stems rise to the top of the narrow opening that allow them to be removed and the wine to be easily accessed. Over the years, Western styles of winemaking have also been adopted with endemic grape varieties for their own Georgian twist.

In terms of food, many people are familiar with the Joey gooey cheesy bread boat, or khachapuri, but Georgia has access to various seasonal vegetables and meats along with many traditional dishes. The country’s prolific walnut and pomegranate production means they are incorporated into many of these dishes. Curious about all these amazing Georgian food and wine pairings? Read on for expert advice from Jonathan Nelms, owner of Supra and Tabla.

Wine: Try Ambra Tsolikouri-Tsitska 2022 if you’re looking for a European-style white wine that’s “exuberant and approachable: melon, honeysuckle and pineapple on the nose, followed by orange peel, chamomile and fresh plum, with light. minerality”. Nelms advises.

Food: “Pkhali are vegetable pates made from seasonal vegetables boiled or preferably roasted and then ground with nuts, garlic, parsley, coriander and other fresh herbs, often garnished with pomegranate seeds for an added pop of color and a little extra. brightness. The notes of plum and herbs, especially the succulent White Amber, go so well with the bright vegetable pâtés that are staples of any Georgian feast or celebration.”

Wine: Baia’s Tsolikouri, 2021 which is an Amber wine. The US may call it orange but the term amber is more appropriate. This wine in particular is more approachable and great as an introductory bottle because of the “lemon and grapefruit soup, orange blossom honey.” Nelms says, and “a perfect ‘intro to amber’ with light tannins, the product of little contact with the skin. Typical of the wines of western Georgia, Tsolikouri di Baia is light and accessible that shows a bright acidity with citrus notes and honey. This wine ferments and then remains only on 30% of the skins for three months, much less contact with the skin that is typical of Georgia amber, especially those from the main wine region of the village of Kakheti, in the east.

Food: Khachapuri. “Georgia’s iconic cheese breads, khachapuri come in many forms with different fillings, but the trinity of the most famous khachapuri (Imeruli, Megruli and Ajaruli) are mostly just bread and cheese. The iconic Ajaruli has an egg mixed with the last minute for added richness. The bright acidity of Baia’s Tsolikouri cuts through the buttery, cheesy goodness that is khachapuri, and the light wine doesn’t weigh you down—an important consideration when eating khachapuri! Baia’s wines come from the region of Imereti, after which the khachapuri “Imeruli” is named, so it is not surprising that they make a perfect pair. Actually, all three classic khachapuri come from the west (from the western regions of Imereti, Samegrelo and Adjara, respectively). You can really see how the style of typical Western wines matches the cuisine, which prominently features khachapuri.”

Wine: Try Shalauri Mtsvane, 2019 Amber which is a more robust wine with lots of tannins. Think “earthy honey, wild plum and herbs on the finish. A classic amber wine in the typical Kakhetian (East Georgian) style. Shalauri is one of the few – but growing in number – Georgian winemakers willing to age their wines before selling. His investment in time allows the fairly pronounced tannins to settle a little.” Nelms advises.

Food: Ikhvi which translates to duck or other game birds. “Georgians like to say that amber wines go with everything. As a hybrid of white and red, amber wines begin with the bright fruit notes of white grapes before vinifying them as if they were red grapes , with skin contact. Because of this dual nature of wines, a typical Georgian family above presented only one wine: jugs of family-made amber wine intended to complement everything on the table.

“The Shalauri Mtsvane is bold enough to resist duck, pheasant, or even pork or red meat. We love our duck dish at Supra, where the roasted breast is served with two sauces – very tasty and herbaceous cilantro – and roasted heirloom carrots, and we think Shalauri’s mtsvane boldness is perfect for this complex array of flavors: earthy, sweet, herbaceous, and meaty/umami.

Wine: Orgo Saperavi 2021 is a qvevri wine with lots of black cherry and plum fruit but balanced tannins.

Food: Beef Mtsvadi. “A classic pairing, Orgo’s medium to full-bodied saperavi and mtsvadi grilled beef.” The dark fruit notes carry their own umami flavors that go well with the beef mtsvadi, especially when served (as at Supra) with mushrooms and a saperavi wine reduction. If someone in your party wants to try classic Georgian flavors but isn’t the most adventurous diner, they won’t go wrong with a classic saperavi – and Orgo’s saperavi is as classic as they come – paired with beef.

Wine: Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi Superieur, 2018 is a naked Saperavi from “one of the oldest “European style” wineries in Kakheti, this selected saperavi sees three months in oak to soften the tannins; dark fruits, dark chocolate, black tea.

Food: Meat chashushuli which is “a richly flavored braised dish, tenderloin of meat stewed in a tomato broth spiced with onions, garlic, coriander (seeds and leaves), blue fenugreek, and Georgian ‘saffron’ (actually marigold petals dry ground). The bread spice notes of the Saperavi Superior in rovere, a reserve saperavi produced by the “European-style” winery Chateau Mukhrani, complement the hot and salty spices of this classic Georgian dish.”

Wine: Tchotiashvili Tavkveri ‘SB,’ 2017 is a limited edition qvevri wine. Only 1,500 hand-labeled bottles were made. “Kakha Tchotiashvili macerates his tavkveri for 100 days with holes before transferring the young wine to a new qvevri for aging, and finally rests the wine for three months in neutral oak before bottling; cranberry corsé léger, ribes rouge et épices brillantes Nelms said.

Food Pairing: Pork Belly with Ghomi and Ajika-Spiced Honey. “The tangy cranberry and currant notes of Kakha Tchotiashvili’s Tavkveri ‘SB’ beautifully complement the spicy-sweet honey that glazes the rich pork belly and ghomi, which is like a Georgian version of creamy grits or polenta. Tavkveri is bright and bright, with a pleasant acidity that cuts through the richness of the pork without overpowering the dish.

Wine: Dakishvili Kisi Pét-Nat, 2021 is “made in the traditional style of sparkling wine (pétillant naturel or “machari” in Georgian) and has aromas and flavors of wet stone, pear, grapefruit, ginger, white flowers and tropical fruits. . Sparkling or semi-sweet, your choice!”

Food pairing: Kalmakhi or river trout. “Although it is located on the Black Sea, Georgian cuisine is not known for its seafood. The most common and popular fish dishes involve river fish, such as the trout that flows in the countless mountain streams of the country, says Nelms.

“We like to pair trout with kisi, a grape variety known for its aromatic notes of tropical fruit, often transformed into medium-bodied amber wines. When looking for a special kisi, we love the sparkling “pét-nat” version produced by Giorgi “Gogi” Dakishvili, the patriarch of the Dakishvili winemaking family and the head winemaker of the Dakishvili, Orgo and Dila-o labels. “