📜 Bolnisi

Bolnisi is a protected designation of origin in Georgia, centred on the town of Bolnisi in the Kvemo Kartli region in the south of the country. It is part of Kvemo Kartli and covers white, amber, rosé and red wines.

The town is known since the 19th century as the German colony of Katharinenfeld: in 1818 settlers from Swabia arrived and developed vine growing and winemaking. Old stone cellars can still be found in the area.

The main grapes are Rkatsiteli, Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane (white) and Saperavi, Tavkveri and Shavkapito (red). Whites can be made in the European way or by the traditional Georgian method in qvevri, on the skins, giving amber wines with firm structure and tannins.

The climate is moderately continental, with cool winters and warm summers. Bolnisi wines are valued for freshness and clear varietal aromas, and the name is among Georgia's PDOs protected by the law on appellations. Tbilisi is not far away, while Georgia's main wine region, Kakheti, lies to the east. Bolnisi is a good way to meet Georgian wine off the usual routes and to compare the European style with the traditional one.