Kundza 2021 - Kapistoni

Product detailed description

Kundza is an exceptional, natural, and unfiltered amber (orange) wine from a protected eco-zone in the village of Saguramo, located in the Kartli region of Georgia. It is crafted from 100% of the ancient, extremely rare, and indigenous white grape variety Kundza, which was nearly forgotten in Georgia. The wine is produced using the traditional Georgian method inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list; the hand-harvested grapes are fermented with wild yeasts in clay vessels called Qvevri buried underground, and subsequently age there on 100% chacha (skins, seeds, and stems) for 6 months. This authentic, low-intervention process with no added additives gives the wine a captivating, light golden-amber color, a layered aroma of lemongrass, honeysuckle, pears, and wild herbs, and a full-bodied, mineral, beautifully structured palate with a long, clean finish.

The family-run Kapistoni winery, led by the acclaimed winemaker Niko Chochashvili, is deeply dedicated to a philosophy of absolute naturalness and biodiversity. They strictly exclude the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in their vineyards, and their cellar (marani) specializes in rescuing endangered native grape varieties that almost vanished from Georgian vineyards during the last century. Furthermore, Kapistoni successfully demonstrates the uniqueness of the Kartli region's terroir, whose cooler microclimate and limestone-clay soils impart an extraordinary elegance, freshness, minerality, and higher acidity to the Qvevri wines than is typical for the heavier expressions from Kakheti. Due to the pure artisanal production and the absence of filtration or fining, these living wines are produced in limited quantities and represent a true gem for lovers of authentic natural wines.