Caucasus Valley

TSOLIKOURI

TSOLIKOURI

TSOLIKOURI
TSOLIKOURI

Tsolikouri is local standard grape sort. It is well-known in Georgia’s viticulture regions and gives high quality table white and natural half sweet desert wines.

In foreign ampelographical works Tsolikouri is descript and shortly characterized as "Tsolikouri".

Tsolikouri is Imeretian industrial grape sort, it was born from Kolkhetian hearth of grape sorts formation. With its morphological and economical traits it is much closed to wets Georgian main industrial grape sorts and belongs to prol. pontica, cibprol. georgica Negr ecological-geographical group.

Tsolikouri is one of the sorts which found popularity quick and wide not only in Imeretian viticultural regions, but in whole Georgia too.

According to habitats and size of vineyards Tsolikouri has first place after Rkatsiteli, not only in Georgia, most of all Tsolikouri is popular in Imerety, it has much more area than Tsitska, after that with according to placed area is Samergrelo where it takes 31% of all the vineyards, in Abkhazia -16%, Guria 19% and in Racha-Lechkhumi 7, 5%, the most less area Tsolikouri takes in Ajara and eats Georgia.

How adviseable Tsolikouri is for winery defines its external view, grains taste, cluster formation and chemical structure of juice. In fact, in the first place from Tsolikouri different wine sorts are made, which are characterized with high taste property and rich chemical structure.

Tsolikouris, as other sorts, clusters mechanical composition indexes, are very fluctuating, as because of location as years meteorological factors, so according to separate clusters size and density, last caused owing sometimes overacts difference between sorts and only after sharp duffers are useful to characterize sort. Tsolikouri can accumulate big quantity of sugars. Quantity of sugar is depended generally on the location and years meteorological conditions.

In Imeretys northeast eminent places (Kharagauli, Chiatura and Sachkhere regions) Tsolikouri accumulates less but enough sugars for table wine. Middle and lower Imerety regions Tsolikouri accumulates much sugars and wines from that regions are more full and energetic.

Must be marked that Tsolikouri with its high level of sugars, can keep enough acidity for table wine, what gives high level of alcohol, full, energetic, enough joyous wine.

Tsolikouri is weak-known grape sort. From its grapes as in Imerety in Guria-Samegrelo, Abkhazia and Racha-Lechkhumi regions are making local and European type table and naturally half sweet white wines. Small quantity is also used for meal and making local sweets (Churchkhela, Phelamushi and etc.).

Usually in middle Imerety Tsolikouris harvest is starting at October 10th and is lasting until end of the month, and in higher Imerety harvest starts in the end of October when sugarness is 21-22%.

From Tsolikouri grapes are producing 3 types of wines: naturally half sweet, Imeretian and European.

Making style of Imeretian type wine is different of as Kakhetian as European type wines making styles. It consists of: picked up grapes are pressing out; juice is placed in clean earthen wares. To hurry boiling there is adding 8-10% vodka (Chacha). Addition of Chacha helps normal pacing of boiling of the sweet, gives pleasant yellowish color, hurries cleaning of the wine, objects wines body and aroma. Imeretian type wine is pretty yellow color, it is full, pithy, enough harmonious and joyous. Breedy aroma is well figured.

Tsolikouri wine rises high quality, as with Imeretian style of making as European. European style produced Tsolikouri has limpid, light yellow color, characterized with content, harmonious mixture of constituents, selfish breed aroma in young age and tender bouquet in old age.

As it was told, Tsolikouri wine improves with age, its slight harshness in young age changes with age in tenderness and neatness and wine becomes harmonious and more pleasant; this is the main difference from other sorts.

The Winery Karasani produces European type wine from Tsolikouri sort of grapes.