In the village of Gremi in eastern Georgia, Tamuna Bidzinashvili makes traditional qvevri wines under the labels Kortavebis Marani and Tamuna's Wine. Her vineyard doubles as a living archive of Georgia's deep viticultural heritage.
Backstory
Tamuna founded Kortavebis Marani in 2014. While her young vines matured she made wine from purchased grapes; today about 60 percent of her fruit comes from the estate. Her Saperavi, named Temo in honor of the father-in-law who helped her get started, joined the menu at the celebrated restaurant Noma in 2023.
The Region
The winery lies in Kakheti, Georgia's most important wine region, in Kvareli Municipality near the historic Gremi Fortress. It is the heartland of the country's ancient qvevri tradition.
Vineyards and Farming
Tamuna planted 2.5 hectares with around 35 indigenous grape varieties, a deliberate effort to promote and preserve Georgian viticultural diversity. The vineyard functions as a kind of grape library.
Winemaking
Wines are made the traditional Georgian way, aged in qvevri buried in the earth. Grapes ferment spontaneously with ambient yeasts and see about a month of skin contact, then age roughly nine months in qvevri before bottling unfined, unfiltered and with zero added sulfur.
The Wines
Annual production averages around 6000 bottles, most of it exported. The range spans amber skin-contact whites such as Rkatsiteli and Kakhuri Mtsvane, the Chinuri-Saperavi blend, a Rkatsiteli rose and the Temo Saperavi.
