Papari Valley

The Papari Valley estate lies in Kakheti, eastern Georgia. In 2004, Nukri Kurdadze bought two hectares of vineyards. More plots were added over the years, and today, with more than nine hectares, he runs one of Georgia's larger estates, together with his wife Keti and son Sandro.

The principal varieties are Saperavi and Rkatsiteli, the country’s two most important indigenous grapes. The first wines were made in 2007, although these were more experiments than market-ready wines. By 2015, the time had come: with sufficient experience and knowledge gained over the years, the family could begin marketing its wines.

Nukri Kurdadze combines modern Western cellar techniques with the ancient winemaking knowledge of his homeland. All his wines are made using the Kakhetian method. For whites and reds alike, the grapes are crushed with their stems in traditional Georgian clay vessels called qvevri, then ferment on the skins for several months. All wines ferment spontaneously and are handled as little as possible. They are neither fined nor filtered, and only a minimal amount of sulphur is added before bottling.