Maraneli Mukuzani Red 2014

I see it as our job at Crunchy Fruit to keep introducing you to new things that would never see the light of day at a grocery store. There’s so many exciting things happening all over the wine world that the discoveries can continue for year and years. It’s our job to sift through these wines and find the ones that are actually good, and this spicy red from Georgia (the country, not the state) was an easy choice.

The grape in question here is Saperavi, the classic red grape of Georgia. Saperavi is dense, rich, and spicy. It can age well, but also displays a nuanced character in its youth. This is from the region of Kakheti, on the banks of the Alazani river in eastern Georgia. These vineyards have very dark, calcium-rich soils, which have taken kindly to the vines over the millennia. Georgia is the world’s cradle of winemaking, and has been consistently producing wine for longer than any part of the world.

Saperavi is a direct translation of the Georgian word for “inky.” So much so that they used to squeeze Saperavi grape juice into dishes as ink for their quill pens. This wine shimmers dark and purple in the glass. On the nose, dark black fruit comes forth. It presents notes of damson, stewed blackberry, spice cake and blueberry pie. Toasted cloves and sweet damp earth come through on the powerful, luscious finish.