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E. M. Pashman

E. M. Pashman

A small note on chromedome's spelling: "Kvanchkhara" should be "Khvanchkara" -- the "kh" and "k," which are distinct sounds, are reversed. Unimportant unless you are looking for them online, probably. ...

Also, Georgian wines are generally named for the region in which they are produced and are usually a blend of two or three types of grapes. Khvanchkara is such a regional name, whereas Alexandrouli (var. Alexandreuli) is a grape varietal, as chromedome mentioned. Naming wines after their varietal is a recent phenomenon as the producers try to market their wines to the West.

A favorite Georgian wine of mine from my time in Russia is Kindzmarauli, a semi-sweet, dark red made only from Saperavi (var. Sapheravi) grapes in the Kvareli region surrounding the town of Kindzmarauli. Georgian wines are somewhat inaccessible to Westerners not just because they're mostly unknown in this part of the world, but also because many of them are semi-sweet, which, as chromedome noted, makes them hard to sell in this part of the world. (The reverse is true over there -- everything is sweet.) But they're worth trying out if you have an open mind and palate.

A newish Georgian wine from the Tamada label is also made entirely from Saperavi, but is dry. I've never tried it, but would like to. Besides Tamada, Old Tbilisi wines can be found in the US ... and maybe a couple other brands. Quality can vary significantly, and unfortunately I don't remember which are the best.

Now we just need a thread about Armenian brandy. ...

Eric

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