Anapea Village, Khikhvi "Amber Dry Wine" Kvareli, Georgia 2020

A varietal that is wild and 'loves freedom,' Khikhvi is Khatia's favorite grape. It brings power and opulence but is tempered by Khatia's deft hand in the cellar. 6 months on skins in qvevri with an additional 6 months of aging in a cooler set of qvevri. Unfined and unfiltered.  Bottled with minimal sulfur as necessary.

Khatia and Gocha started Anapea Village in 2013. A wife and husband team, they planted vineyards and built a winery in the east of Georgia to rehabilitate the traditions of Georgian grape growing and winemaking.

From the start, they've farmed organically. Only indigenous varieties are planted in their vineyards. Harvest typically occurs in early September and is completed by hand. Once the grapes reach the winery, fermentation occurs on skins for red and white grapes in qvevri. The winery has 2 sets of qvevri, one for fermentation and one for aging. Both are buried below ground but at different levels.

For fermentation, qvevri buried just below the earth's surface are used. With a slightly warmer ambient temperature, the environment is perfect for fermentation and extraction. Following six months of maceration, the wines are racked off the skins and gross lees to another set of qvevri, buried 6 meters below ground. With a cooler temperature, this zone is perfect for aging and stabilizing the wines. The wines are bottled with minimal to no sulfur and are neither fined nor filtered.