Sister's Wines Kisi Kakheti 2019

Press 4 Mix / Press 4 White • March 2023 Direct Press Selection

Women making wine and bottling them for export is a rarity in Georgia, where bottling traditional wine for export is a new phenomenon in itself. Jane Okruashvili, whose last name is often shortened to Okro, was a political scientist who wanted to be a part of the renaissance of pre-Soviet wines taking place. Her brother John and her now farm about 7 hectares, and are business partners. Most of the wines from their cellar are labeled as Okro's Wines but she is making some under her own label, Sister's Wines, as well.

Her Kisi — a bright, energetic white grape — is fermented and aged in the traditional qvevri without fining, filtration, or sulfur additions. It's definitely a little funky so with zero sulfur and a few years in the bottle, don't expect this to be hold up after being open for a day, or even a few hours. However, it is full of snappy tension and punchy fruit. Dried mango, a touch of smoke, nutmeg, and orange pekoe tea. Detailed, chewy textural layers bring it all together. This shows off all my favorite things about this style of Georgian wine: an unmistakable sense of place, a primal thirst-quenching quality, and a raw, rough edge that creates layers of surprising complexity and beauty. Jonathan Kemp