Demi's Winery was started by Guliko (wife) and Dimitri (husband) and is now operated together with their son, Lado. This warm-hearted family is surrounded by so much love and good energy, with many friends frequently visiting and helping with the winemaking process, which we are overjoyed to be a part of as well. Every time we visit, there is work to be done, wine to be drank, and Lado with his guitar and bellowing voice to sing along to.
With only just over one hectare of a vineyard, everything is done by hand. It is only what one can dream of in a vineyard; no machinery, a plethora of biodiversity, with pomegranate trees lining the sides and ducks quacking about. In the cellar, traditional Qvevris are buried and used for their still and sparkling wines. Nothing is rushed, everything is done with minimal intervention, respect for nature's process and what the wine wants to become. Lado is curious about ageing the wines, so they lay in the cellar for some years until reaching market. Chinuri and Tavkveri are grown in their vineyards, and they buy some Saperavi from their farmer friend. Demi's Winery is a member of the Natural Wine Association of Georgia which employs rigorous regulations and check-ins to ensure the honest marketing of natural winemakers. Their annual production is only about 3,000 bottles, so our allocation in Canada is small. These wines are rare and precious and we ask that they be drank with love and curiosity. The purity and love of this family echoes in their wine, as they are some of the most emotional wines we have tasted.
The Chinuri grape is a special Georgian variety, and one of my favourites. This 2018 vintage shows luscious honeyed characteristics with powerful stone fruit and minerality. This Chinuri was fermented and aged in Qvevri, with skin-contact for just over a month. Bottled the following April and laid to rest for 6 years in the cellar. It has a beautiful golden colour with aromas of quince and apricot. The time spent on its skins has aided in the beautiful ageing of this wine, with spiced honey, balanced acidity and a beautifully rounded texture. Powerful and expressive.
This wine is the latest release of Lado's pet-nats. A straw-coloured sparkling wine with a refined aroma of vanilla and peach. The palate opens up to clear notes of apricot and pineapple, intertwined with a subtle minerality. A perfect balance of acidity creates a pleasant, lingering finish.
The Chinuri grape is a special Georgian variety, and one of my favourites. This 2020 vintage spent 2 weeks on its skins during fermentation before being pressed off into ageing Qvevris before bottling in April. It was then laid to rest for 4 years in the cellar. With a beautiful golden colour, this wine shows subtle aromas of honey and petrol-like layers together with bright stone fruits. On the palate, this wine is layered, with a balanced structure, and a lasting finish.
Tavkveri typically makes a vibrant and light-bodied red wine with bright red fruit and a peppery kick. This wine was harvested from their little vineyard and spent a few days on its skins before being pressed off into ageing Qvevris. With a light purple-ish rose colour and aromas of sweet red fruit, this Tavkveri opens into a distinctively layered and bright wine. Raspberries and red currants together with dried herbs and a subtle spice, and a tertiary earthiness. Light tannins, medium acidity, and a lasting finish.
