Casreli Erekle 2020
Casreli is a small wine farm from Georgia. A project of five befriended doctors under the inspiring leadership of Misha Dolidze. They know each other from their medical studies in Tbilisi. They make red and orange natural wines in qvevri. Their dedication and professionalism earned them prizes in the qvevri wine competitions in Tbilisi from the very first vintage, and not much later they achieved international success when their wine from the Chitistvala grape was chosen by the British wine magazine Decanter among the best orange wines in the world.
| Country | Georgia |
| Region | Kacheti |
| Protected Designation of Origin | Geen |
| Wine maker | Casreli Wines |
| Grape varieties | Rkatsiteli 35%, Kisi 35%, Mtsvane 15%, Khikhvi 15% |
| Terroir | The grapes are picked from young vines in the Shaloant Akhoebi vineyard. It is located 450m above sea level with a stony bottom of clay and loamy soil. The vineyards are west facing with sun all day, on the right side of the Alazani Valley. |
| Harvest method | Grapes are selected and picked manually. |
| Vineyard treatment | This is a natural wine made from organically treated vineyards. |
| Vinification | The grapes are slightly bruised and put in the qvevri. After spontaneous fermentation on wild yeasts, the wine matures for another three months with the skins and seeds (but without stems) in the qvevri. The wine is not clarified or filtered. In the qvevri the wine filters itself. |
| Impression | Dried mango, bergamot and orange peel. Remarkably fresh acidity for this type of wine. Walnuts and drying tannins in the finish. |
| Alcohol | 12.50 % |
| Did you know? | King Erekle II ruled the Georgian province of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762. After three centuries of turbulence, he managed to reunite the country as an independent state. Allegedly his favourite wine was a blend of Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane and Khikhvi grapes. |