Adjara Guria

Georgia treats Adjara and Guria as separate wine zones, though Chkhaveri connects the two. In Guria, this pinkish-violet grape may not be picked until November or December. It is made as still or sparkling wine, dry or semi-sweet, with either soft white-fruit aromas or red berries, cherries, forest fruit and baking spice. Guria's vineyards sit in river gorges and on slopes. Humidity and heavy rain have kept maghlari, with vines trained into trees, and olikhnari, with vines trained up tall props, in use. Tsolikouri gives light straw-coloured wines with citrus, white plum, yellow fruit and floral aromas. Askana and Bakhvi are known for full-bodied dark reds from Jani and Mtevandidi that can age well. Some wines are made in qvevri, large earthenware vessels buried in the ground; other cellar methods are also used. Adjara's vineyards run from near sea level to about 500 metres. Its Black Sea coast is very wet, while the interior is substantially drier. Batomura, Brola, Khopaturi and other older local varieties are being restored as winemaking and viticulture revive.