The story of Vartsikhe Marani begins in the early 1900s when the Ananov brothers acquired land in the village of Vartsikhe, in the Baghdati district of western Georgia's Imereti region. In 1907, the winery commenced operations. Today, with winemaker Kakha Tchotiashvili at the helm, Vartsikhe Marani produces 100 percent natural wines in underground qvevri, using traditional Georgian methods that predate the concept of winemaking by most of the world's standards.
Qvevri: The Original Vessel
Georgia invented qvevri fermentation over eight thousand years ago, and Vartsikhe Marani practices it with full fidelity to that tradition. Grapes are fermented and aged in clay qvevri buried underground, which regulate temperature naturally and allow for gentle, slow extraction without the intervention of modern winemaking equipment. The wines that emerge are wild, textured, and deeply expressive of their origin, carrying tannin, complexity, and a Georgian flavor profile unlike anything produced elsewhere.
Imeretian Varieties, Organically Farmed
Vartsikhe Marani focuses on ancient local grape varieties ideally suited to the cool, humid climate of Baghdati: Aladasturi, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, and Otskhanuri Sapere from Imereti; Saperavi from the eastern Kakheti region. All are farmed organically in limited quantities, and all are vinified without synthetic additives. Imereti's climate and soils are credited for producing lower-alcohol, high-quality wines with unusual freshness for the Caucasus region.
A Living Archive of Georgian Wine
Vartsikhe Marani is not a new-wave natural wine project. It is something older and more fundamental: a winery that has maintained the original form of winemaking across more than a century of upheaval, producing wines that connect the drinker directly to the origins of viticulture itself. For anyone serious about understanding where wine comes from, this estate is essential.