XPTO Factor: Qvevri natural wine generates and collects positive emotions

Chona’s Marani is a family winery, located in city Telavi, in the Kakheti region. The family has a long tradition of producing natural wines, that was transmitted by generations and is based on Kakhetian traditional technology, which implies producing wine in the Qvevri.
Wine is produced from the grapes grown in the family’s own vineyards. The vineyard is maintained according to bio-organic rules. The maintenance of the vineyard, the grapes and wine making and bottling is carried out by family members.

The vineyards of Chona’s Marani are located in Tsinandali protected area, in the village (Kurdgelauri), at 550m above sea level. Its area is 2 hectares.
The cultivated vine varieties are accurately applied to the specific nature of the specific zone and the composition of the soil.
Planted vine varieties are Kakhetian Mtsvane, Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Saperavi.

In the vineyards of Chona’s Marani, the harvest begins at the end of September. Before the start of the harvest, the level of the grape maturity is checked to select the optimum period to pick up the grapes. Picked grapes are transported from the vineyard to the cellar, so as to ensure their maximum integrity. After that, the grapes are pressed using a special machine, into Qvevri.

The fermentation process is carried out entirely by organic wild yeast, that is naturally covering the grape skins.
In the process of fermentation, “chacha” (grape skin and stem) is intensively mixed with the juice in the qvevri, which helps the disintegration of sugar and diffuses the phenolic compounds – useful tannins in wine. After the primary and the secondary fermentation, the wine is checked in laboratory to determine its parameters. When its done, the Qvevri is locked and covered with soil or river sand, until the spring.

In the first decade of April, Qvevri is opened and the wine tasted. A secondary lab analysis happens and at that time the “chacha” is separated from the wine and the wine placed in a clean, new Qvevri, where the it’s naturally filtered before bottling.
Wine making is traditionally accompanied by Georgian polyphonic songs, which is an integral part of the family and also accompanies the wine tasting.