When I first met Tea, I was impressed within the first aroma. It was our first tasting of the day, the fog was so thick outside that it felt like we were standing in a room in the clouds. That was my first introduction to one of the vanguard of traditional wine in Georgia being marketed to the rest of the world. I had no idea that in 2004, there was no traditional production wine being bottled in Georgia. There was plenty of commercial wine, yes, but the local community held back their best wines for consumption in their marani (home cellar). In 2001, Tea began her journey by becoming the first female winemaker in Kakheti. Her mentor was the legendary Gogi Tushmalishvili- that same Gogi whose 2013 we introduced to Mexico six years ago! Tea traveled around her region to look for all of the traditional natural wine producers to be able to learn from each other. At that time there were only 27 in all of Georgia. Her first vintage of Saperavi was in 2005-2006 was released only to family and she continued to learn to make wine the traditional way until 2014 when the first vintage of Patara was released. Today she is seen as one of the top wine makers in the country and her wines always shine after extended aging to optimize the flavors and textures unique to Georgian wines!

Winemaker: Tea Sturua

Winery Stats

Winery Name: Patara Marani
Region: Kakheti, Georgia
Total Production (bottles): 4000-5000
Vineyard Holdings (ha): 1.25
Farming Style: Small Family Farm
Farming Certification: Natural Traditional Georgian Wine
Grapes Planted (Red): Saperavi (1800 vines)
Grapes Planted (White): Rkatsiteli (2300 vines)

Philosophy

We know the story of each of our grapes. For Patara Marani, wine is not just a business, for its producers, it is an Art, a Philosophy, an Identity, a Dignity that does not recognize earthly boundaries. The family members directly take part in the maintenance of the Patara Marani vineyards. The main philosophy is based on the principle of minimal intervention, so that the grapes themselves show us their character. In the vineyard maintenance process, the requirements defined for bio-organic viticulture are observed. Vineyards are poisoned only by contact (copper) and sulfur solutions. The fight against parasites is carried out with preparations allowed in organic farming, taking into account the climate and the phases of the vine's vegetation. We does not apply excessive mechanical soil treatment (once in 5-6 years); The spaces between the rows are filled with useful grass - ""Trifolium repens"" and ""Festuca rubra"".
The vines are pruned to no more than two horns to avoid stressing the vines, which in turn means less yield but improved grape quality. ""Patara Maran"" is uncompromising in wine aging: at least 2 years for white wine, at least 3 years for red wine, so that the wine can reveal its character as much as possible.

Something Random

Tea is the first (official) female traditional winemaker in Kakheti, Georgia's history. Crazy to think as the region has been making these wines in the same way since around 6250 BC!

  • Saperavi 2022

    Saperavi 2022

    Saperavi 2022

    Bliss Wine Concierge
    $55.00 USD
    $55.00 USD
  • Rkatsiteli 2022

    Rkatsiteli 2022

    Rkatsiteli 2022

    Bliss Wine Concierge
    $45.00 USD
    $45.00 USD