Bedoba Orange 2023
£15.25
The wine
An amber, or orange, wine made the ancient Georgian way: a blend of the native Rkatsiteli and Kisi, fermented on its skins in traditional qvevri amphorae for months, then aged in clay and a little oak.
Deep gold and gently grippy, it brims with dried apricot, honey, orange peel and wild herbs, with a textural, savoury palate and a dry, gastronomic finish. A fascinating, food-loving style. Try it with roast poultry, pork, charcuterie, hard cheese and spiced dishes. Serve lightly chilled. (70% Rkatsiteli, 30% Kisi.)
The producer
Bedoba
View all Bedoba winesGeorgia is the cradle of wine, with eight thousand years of unbroken winemaking, and Bedoba carries that heritage proudly. Its name means “day of luck”, and the wines come from Kakheti, the country’s historic heartland, where cellars on the estate date back to 1737.
The focus is Saperavi, Georgia’s great indigenous red, grown on old vines in the Kvareli and Kindzmarauli appellations along the Duruji valley. Black-shale soils and the cool slopes of the Caucasus lend the wines their fresh acidity and supple tannins.
Winemakers Nugzar Ksovreli and Thierry Fontannaz marry the ancient and the modern, fermenting in traditional qvevri amphorae alongside stainless steel and oak. The range spans a deep, spicy Saperavi, an old-vine Reserve, and a textural amber wine from Rkatsiteli and Kisi.
Authentic, characterful and quietly thrilling, these are wines that tell the story of the world’s oldest wine culture.
