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Vartsikhe Marani

Tsolikouri Orange 2018

Price: $32.95
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Tasting notes

This is Tsolikouri in its most expressive form: six months of skin contact in buried qvevri produces a wine with genuine tannic grip, layered notes of quince, dried apricot, and wildflowers, and a long, mineral finish. It is a direct window into a winemaking tradition that predates most of Europe's famous appellations by thousands of years.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
QuinceDried ApricotWildflowersHoney
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied orange wine; deep amber; quince, dried apricot, wildflowers; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Tsolikouri; organic; stony limestone-carbonate loam soils, Baghdati district, Imereti
  • Winemaking: Wild yeast fermentation; ~180 days full skin contact in buried qvevri; transferred to fresh qvevri for winter aging; unfiltered, no additives
  • Serving: Serve at 55-60F; can be enjoyed immediately or aged further
  • Pairing: Grilled trout, roasted chicken, hard cheese, walnut-based sauces, charcuterie
  • Similar To: For fans of Friulian skin-contact whites and natural amphora wines who want to explore Georgian amber wine

Tsolikouri is the dominant white grape of western Georgia, planted across nearly 90% of Imereti's vineyards. Vartsikhe Marani grows it in the Baghdati district of Imereti, where stony loam soils rich in calcium carbonate and limestone, combined with a humid subtropical climate influenced by the Black Sea, produce grapes with vibrant natural acidity and concentrated flavor.

The wine is made entirely in qvevri — large clay vessels buried in the ground — using spontaneous wild yeast fermentation with full skin contact for approximately 180 days. Once fermentation stops as outdoor temperatures drop, the wine is transferred to fresh qvevri and left to age through the winter months. The solids settle naturally to the bottom; the wine is then bottled unfiltered with no additives.

The result is a deep amber wine with aromas of dried apricot, quince, wildflowers, and honey, and a texture that is fuller and more structured than you would expect from a standard white wine. Skin contact contributes noticeable but fine-grained tannins alongside the grape's characteristic acidity. This is the classic Imeretian amber style, direct from one of the region's dedicated natural producers.

The firm acidity and tannin structure make this a natural match for grilled or roasted fish, especially trout or sea bass. It also holds its own against hard cheeses, charcuterie, and dishes with walnut-based sauces common in Georgian cuisine. Try it with roasted chicken or a simple vegetable pkhali.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Tsolikouri
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Georgia
Region:, Imereti
Appellation:, Imereti
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Vartsikhe Marani

Vartsikhe Marani is located in the village of Vartsikhe in the Baghdati district of Imereti, approximately 16 km from the city of Kutaisi. The winery was founded by David Tsertsvadze, whose grandfather made wine and kept a cellar in the nearby village of Dimi. Tsertsvadze established Vartsikhe Marani and planted its vineyard; the winery bottled its first wines in 2015. The Baghdati district is noted for its climate, soils, and local Imeretian varieties suited to producing lower-alcohol, high-acidity wines.

Vartsikhe Marani farms its vineyards using organic methods and grows indigenous Imeretian varieties including Tsolikouri, Tsitska, Krakhuna, Aladasturi, Otskhanuri Sapere, and Dzelshavi. The winery has also been involved in preserving rare local varieties, including 3 hectares of Otskhanuri Sapere, which was close to extinction. Additional vineyard holdings exist in Kakheti in eastern Georgia.

All wines are produced in qvevri using wild yeast with no additives or chemicals at any stage. The lightly pressed juice ferments on skins, and once outdoor temperatures stop fermentation, the wine is moved to fresh qvevri to settle and age through winter. Each bottle is inspected and numbered by the winemaker. Wines are bottled unfiltered. From 2022, Vartsikhe Marani also began producing a small number of European-style wines alongside the traditional qvevri range.

Wine region

Imereti, Georgia

Imereti sits in west-central Georgia along the middle and upper Rioni River, bordered by the Likha Ridge to the east and the Caucasus to the north. Vineyards are planted at elevations between 50 and 500 meters above sea level on soils that are predominantly stony loams with calcium carbonate and limestone. The climate is humid subtropical, with rainfall between 1,300 and 1,800 mm annually, cooler nights that help preserve acidity, and enough warmth in summer to ripen the late-maturing Tsolikouri grape by mid-October.

Imereti is one of Georgia's five main viticultural regions and home to the PDO Sviri appellation, whose wines are produced from Tsitska, Tsolikouri, and Krakhuna. Tsolikouri is the dominant variety, found in nearly 90% of western Georgia's vineyards. The traditional Imeretian winemaking style uses qvevri (locally called churi) with partial to full skin contact, producing amber-colored wines with citrus, stone fruit, and floral character and more texture than European-style whites from the same grape.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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