In the small town of Sighnakhi, 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 the winemaking is on a passion for the ancient rituals of winemaking. Today, "Joni" Okro is one of the most respected natural wine producers in Kakheti, where it concentrates on traditional amber wines with long maceration on the skins and small production runs.
His Kakheti wines are produced from cool, high-altitude vineyards rather than the warmer plains. His wines retain freshness and vitality and have a level of concentration rarely seen. He also works with grapes from Kartli and Imereti.
100% Tsolikouri, a local Georgian grape variety from old vines that have never been exposed to chemicals, grown in the famous Imereti region in western Georgia. Everything is done by hand here, including the harvesting of very low yields. The bunches are pressed directly, without macerating the skins for true white colour. Nose of yellow apple, almond, bergamot. Dense structure, lingering flavour. An ideal starting point to get to know Georgian wines.