# Baia's Wine Tsitska Tsolikauri Krakhuna (2025)

- **Producer:** Baia's Wine
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tsolikouri, Tsitska, Krakhuna
- **Region:** Imereti, Georgia
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** pear, orange, peach, apricot, herbaceous, fennel, pineapple, butter, bread, dried apricot, honey, hay

## About this wine

Baia's Wine was founded in 2015 by Baia Abuladze alongside her siblings Gvantsa and Giorgi in the village of Obcha, located in the Imereti region of Western Georgia. Revitalizing a three-generation family winemaking heritage, Baia has become a leading figure in the modern renaissance of Georgian wine, earning a spot on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2019. Unlike the heavy, highly tannic skin-contact amber wines typical of eastern Georgia (Kakheti), Baia's wines represent the western Imeretian style. This approach utilizes indigenous grape varieties and shorter maceration periods to produce wines of remarkable freshness, vibrant acidity, and elegant structure, offering a friendly and captivating introduction to traditional qvevri winemaking.

## Interesting facts

- Founder Baia Abuladze was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2019 for her role in revitalizing Georgian winemaking.
- Unlike eastern Georgian amber wines aged for 6 months on skins, this Imeretian style uses only about two weeks of skin contact.
- Fermented and aged in traditional buried clay vessels called qvevri, which are locally referred to as churi in the Imereti region.

## Food pairing

This skin-contact white wine possesses both high acidity and a light tannic structure, making it exceptionally versatile. The acidity cuts through rich, creamy, or buttery sauces, while the subtle phenolic grip and medium-to-full body allow it to stand up to roasted white meats like chicken and pork. The wine's earthy and herbal undertones also make it a perfect match for roasted root vegetables and mushrooms.

## Wine making process

This wine is a blend of Tsolikouri, Tsitska, and Krakhuna grapes grown organically and biodynamically on alluvial soils of clay, sand, and limestone. The grapes are harvested by hand and spontaneously fermented using only wild, indigenous yeasts. The fermentation and maceration take place in traditional Georgian clay vessels called qvevri (locally known as churi) buried underground. For this vintage, the wine underwent approximately two weeks of skin contact during fermentation, a technique that imparts texture and complexity without overwhelming tannins. Following fermentation, the wine is aged in the qvevri, then bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal sulfur additions.