JOHN OKRO
In the small town of Sighnaghi, in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia, John Okruashvili has been bottling his own wine called Okro’s Wine since 2009.
Like many other producers in Georgia, the focus of winemaking is on the passion for ancient winemaking rituals. Today “Joni” Okro is one of the most respected producers of natural wines in Kakheti, where it concentrates on traditional amber wines with long maceration on the skins and small circulation.
Its Kakhetian wines come from the cool highland vineyards rather than the warmer plains. His wines retain their freshness and vitality and possess a level of concentration rarely seen. He also works with grapes from Kartli and Imereti. All John’s wines are completely natural – they do not use sulfites.
Mtsvane wine is made for two months on the skin without stems, fermented into qvevri, and then poured into pure qvevri.
The soft wine has an aroma with hints of savory spices and paprika, appearing over pineapple and honeyed walnut aromas. The palate is savory yet tart, medium-bodied and quite delicious with pronounced tones of cranberries, refined carambola and tropical acidity.