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Drinking Beyond Rkatsiteli with Agidela Chinuri

 

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If you’ve had only a few Georgian white wines, chances are pretty good that it was Rkatsiteli, that most ubiquitous of Georgian white grapes. I’ve never particularly enjoyed it, myself, and actively avoid it. Even through my infrequent trips to Georgia though, I’ve seen a rise in less common grapes (both white and red) and find many of them so much more enjoyable. Like Chinuri.

Chinuri

The Chinuri grape seems to originate in Kartli, which is very near Tbilisi. Greenish-yellow to amber when fully ripe, it is fairly disease resistant even to phylloxera and can often be found planted on its own roots. Berries are fleshy, juicy, and sweet with easily detachable skins. 

The grape’s name is quite interesting. Georgian viticulturists often named grapes based on their color. The greenish-yellow of Chinuri is known as “chini” in Georgian. Locals in Kartli took that a step further, calling it “chinebuli” (very fine) because it distinguished itself among other grapes by being highly productive, having beautiful bunches and berries, being generally resistant to fungal diseases and phylloxera, and for delivering high quality wine. The name eventually morphed from “chinebuli” to Chinuri, meaning “magnificent” or “perfect”. 

You definitely want to try this one now, don’t you?

It’s most commonly found in the Gori and Kaspi districts of Kartli where people used it to make high quality table white wines, known as ‘Atenuri Wine’. The number of wineries transitioning from table to quality Chinuri has grown over the years, including Gori-based winery Agidela.

Agidela Chinuri, 2020

I could find absolutely nothing about Agidela winery online other than its Instagram account. Granted my Georgian is limited to “hello” “cheers” “thank you” and “thank you very much” so perhaps my English Google search was ineffective! I bought this on a recommendation from Nino Meris Wine Selection in Old Town, Tbilisi. 

While I know nothing about the winery other than its name and general location (Berbuki, Gori), the label at least had some helpful winemaking notes! The wine fermented in qvevri (I think we all saw that coming) on only 15% of its skins and was bottled unfiltered. The low percentage of skin contact resulted in not an amber but a nice, medium lemony color. Nothing that in any way would indicate skin contact really. 

The bouquet in the glass reminded me of a perfect Indian summer day with intense aromas of ripe golden apples, daisies, hay, and dried wild flowers. The palate offered a hint of citrus peel with heavy ripe yellow fruits and saline, like dipping a Golden Delicious apple in salt! Medium-bodied and textured with juicy acidity. 

I really quite enjoyed this and it paired well with lemony salmon and charred green beans!

Please Help Turkey and Syria!

Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:

Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.

Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds.

World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas.

To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmet and SAMS.

Field Ready Türk‎iye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”