Traditional Marani
We built our Marani (wine cellar) using only traditional materials such old Georgian bricks, roof tiles, wood, stone and more. The goal was to perpetuate our ancestor's traditions, using their ancient building technics and create rooms that keep an ideal temperature for wine and avoid any spread of bacteria or disease
Marani is located in the village Sadmeli in Khvanchkara,micro district of the region of Racha,Georgia
How we make natural wine
Our natural wine is made from organically farmed grape, with no intervention from us in the form of additives and processing. The hand-picked grapes are then squeezed in Qvevri, those are the clay egg shaped vessel used for the natural fermentation, maceration and maturation. We allow the wine to mature for six months in these Qvevri which keeps all those wonderful properties. The result is wine in its purest form.
The wine was first made in Georgia 8000 years ago. After that its spread number of places around the world where humans discovered the process of fermenting grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. Over the years, winemakers honed their knowledge and skills, discovered advantageous growing regions, classified varieties and categorised them; all in order to enhance the quality of their wines.
In more recent times and with the need to mass-produce and conform with certain taste profiles, wine has been increasingly made with added substances and processing aids which detract from its natural qualities.
Many people including wine professionals around the world were unaware that the vast majority of wine available today (Including some very expensive brands) is allowed to be made with up to 60 different additives and a host of significant manipulation processes that change its colour, aroma, texture and taste. Unlike with food products, none of the above is required to be stated on the label.
Why Sad Meli's Wine
Know exactly what is inside your bottle of wine. Get the truest expression of your wine’s origins. No masking, no manipulation. No herbicides, no added acids & tannins, no colourants, no added sugar, no enzymes. Better for the environment – Chemical free farming, flourishing bio-diversity, healthier vineyards
Good wine comes from good grapes; unsurprisingly, a good raw ingredient is important for a high-quality end-product. With wine, it is essential as it eliminates the need for winemaking additives that mask or change any colour, aroma, texture or taste.
This is why natural wine is made only from organically or biodynamically farmed grapes that are hand-harvested. It ensures that no pesticides, herbicides or any other chemicals end up in the wine and that the grapes arrive intact to the cellar without any premature fermentation, which happens with mechanised harvesting.
Once grape is in the Marani, the most central and important part of the process takes place; the fermentation:
Sugar from the grape juice is transformed into alcohol by the yeast that is naturally present on the skin of the grape. The fermentation process also releases flavours and aromas which are unique to the grape variety within its particular setting.
In the production of conventional wine, commercial yeast is added onto the tanks in order to achieve specific aroma and taste profiles. Some of the larger producers of conventional wine employ chemists in their cellars, who carry out experiments with types and quantity of yeast in a laboratory environment.
The only additive allowed in natural wine is a very small amount of sulphite. So wine has a fraction of the total level of sulphites that are allowed in conventional wine. Sulphites can cause an allergic reaction with some people and with high levels mutes the taste of the wine. All of our wines contain up to 50 milligrams per litre of Sulphites
Petillant Naturel
Ancestral Method: As the name suggests this was the first method that was used in making sparkling wine, and whilst it requires no additives or special technology it is a method that requires skill, careful observation and experience. It is also called PetNat (Petillant naturel in French).
Recently we start making this unique natural sparkling wine in Qvevri because we believe that our blend of Dzelshavi Tsolikouri and Tetragrapes are perfect example with high acid and desired sugar level to make fresh, intense, fruity stile Pet Nat.
The winemaking starts with the first fermentation of the base wine in Qvevri however the wine is bottled in the middle of the fermentation, still containing a relatively high level of sugar. The bottles remain in the cellar upside down until the following spring and when the temperatures start rising the second fermentation takes place inside the bottle.
Natural Sparkling Cider
The apple is an astonishing creation. Sow a pip and each time it would grow to bear a different variety.
The ancestry of the cultivated fruit as we know it today,Malus pumila domestica,leads back through the ages to the wild crab from the Caucasus region of modern Georgia.Thousands of years of hybridisation and grafting experiments by human beings, along with processes of natural selection, have resulted in a fruit of such rich genetic make-up that the number of possible varieties is quite staggering.
The history of apple in Georgia made us think about making our first apple cider in Qvevri. The qualitative organic apple gave us the ability to make outstanding product.We have used exactly same knowledge like we used to make a Pet Nat.