Many of the country's producers still use techniques that have been around almost as long, like natural fermentation and the use of qvevri, large, earthen, egg-shaped pots in which the wine is vinified and aged.
Dugladze Winery is located in the Kakheti region, in the eastern part of the country, in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains overlooking the Alazani River Valley. The 2020 Dugladze Saperavi Muscat is a semi-sweet red wine which combines the robust Saperavi grape with the aromatic Muscat. It clocks in with alcohol at 14% abv and costs around $14.
This wine is medium-dark ruby colored. The nose is quite aromatic, full of dark fruit like plums, blackberries and black cherries. There is also a significant earthiness about it, reminiscent of a wine made from a North American grape, but not that extreme. The palate is semi-sweet and fruity. There is a savory aspect to it and the tannins are very soft, almost unnoticeable. The wine would pair well with cheese or a fruit tart, and it sips wonderfully on its own. I'd like it with a turkey or ham sandwich, too.
This wine is a brilliant purple in the glass. Its nose smells like blueberry, blackberry and currant, as sweet as you think fruit should be. The palate offers a semi-sweet taste, full fruit flavors, with a racy acidity and a firm set of tannins. This wine will pair well with a meat dish, particularly pork or ham. It's not a bad choice for the holiday meal, either.
This wine is a bit on the sweet side, but not completely dessert wine sweet. It is dark purple in the glass and smells of plum and currant. The palate offers those dark fruit flavors, with little else to get in the way, save for an earthy note that drapes over them. I would pair this wine with a fruit and cheese plate, or a pork dish in a sweet glaze.
