Reconnecting with ancient terroir w/ Irakli Gilauri, Gilauri Wine — XChateau Wine Podcast

As the birthplace of wine and the vinifera grape species, Georgia (the country), has wine deeply embedded in its culture. Yet, having survived conquest by three empires, fine wines are not the current norm in Georgia, where the Russian Communists focused on quantity over quality. Irakli Gilauri is launching Gilauri Wines to change that and to give wine collectors all over the world a chance to taste and connect with the best of the Ancient Terroir that is his home country of Georgia.

Detailed Show Notes:

Irakli’s background: public company CEO (Bank of Georgia, Georgia Capital), wine collector for 20 years, took UC Davis winemaking courses

Mission: to make a fine wine from Georgia that showcases the original terroir of wine

Georgia (the country) wine history

The birthplace of wine, 8,000 years ago
Where vitis vinifera originated (the broader South Caucasus region)
Located between the Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea and Caspian Sea; between Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan
One of the only biodiversity hotspots with a mid-temperate climate
Main wine region Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), ~85% of grapes grown there, similar to Napa as it sits between 2 mountain ranges
Main grape is Saperavi, closest to vitis silvestris, one of the original vinifera grape varieties
Wine is embedded deep in Georgian culture, people believe grapes and wine allowed it to survive 3 empires (Persian, Ottoman, and Russian) and keep their language, script, and faith

The “oldest wine cellar in the world”

~40k old bottles, from the early 1840s, including First Growth Bordeauxs
Collection of the Russian Romanovs (originally housed in St Petersburg)
During WWII, Stalin moved the cellar into three places, including one in Tbilisi
Georgian government is authenticating the wines and will auction some off

Gilauri Wines

Started w/ 10 grape varieties (incl Saperavi, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) in 5 locations, needed to conduct research on mapping terroir to deliver top quality because the Communists only cared about quantity
Started in 2022, but first vintage will be 2024, 2022 and 2023 wines will not be released as the quality was not high enough
Has the potential to produce 75k bottles, but 1st vintage will only be 1,800 bottles (1,200 Saperavi, 600 Chardonnay), with the rest bulked out
Winegrowing is very different from the Georgian norm; focused on quality (e.g. - mixed Guyot pruning with only 1 cane, cover crops, green harvesting, 500L barrel fermentation, cold maceration for aromas (which cannot be done in traditional qvevri)
Saperavi clonal material from Italy, Georgian nurseries have too much virus

DTC focused brand; in order to share with fellow wine lovers, not enough for retail

US, UK, EU, Switzerland available
In US, also producing a Vine Hill Ranch Napa Cabernet with Nigel Kinsman at Wheeler Farms, and can use that license to import and sell Georgian wines DTC; Napa Cab as the sister wine to Georgian Saperavi
Has conducted blind tastings of top New World and Old World wines to compare with Gilauri’s “Ancient World” wine
Allocations of 1st Georgian wines Dec 2026, 1st Napa wines Spring 2027
Vanessa Conlin MW coming on to help promote the wines in the US
Join the allocation list at Gilauri.com

Wine, food, & travel go together

SommTV producing a cooking show for Georgian cuisine, which is a mix of Asian, European, and Middle Eastern influences
Will have a free private concierge to organize wine trips to Georgia
Trying to get access to “Stalin Cellar” for list members
Loyal clients will also have access to 4 bedroom house in Georgia

Expected pricing: <$200 for the Saperavi, <$100 for the Chardonnay; want more people to taste the wines over time

Wine and public companies have similar business models, both require roadshows to sell wine or the stock; have brokers or distributors to market to investors or accounts; and you have analysts or critics who rate the company/product

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