Ramaz Nikoladze Dzelshavi is a light, lively red reminiscent of Jura’s Ploussard. Ramaz version is a beautiful, clean, focused lightly coloured red. It bursts with energy and life once aired in the glass. The palate is fruit forward. This is the perfect summer red, best served slightly chilled.
RAMAZ NIKOLADZE, Imereti
Organic, Natural
For the last few of years, Ramaz is producing wines that are amongst the purest and most vibrant in the whole of Georgia. Our last tastings with him were mind-blowing.
Ramaz Nikoladze’s wines are one of the most sought-after wines of Georgia. They are sought out by cutting-edge sommeliers and natural wine lovers in London, New York, Tokyo – and Ireland! From his small, sustainably cultivated vineyard in Imereti, Ramaz makes just tiny quantities from this green, lofty western region. Ramaz is admired for his wines, his conviction, love of punk music and legendary hospitality
Ramaz Nikoladze is the head of Slow Food in Georgia and he started his small domaine in 2007 just a few kilometres from Kutaisi in the Imereti region on the grounds of his grandparents parcel. Ramaz himself is from this village, same for his parents, he bought his house in 2001, eventually setting up his cellar on the basement with a few qvevri buried to their neck.
Ramaz' own vineyard surface makes 1,5 hectare in total, his yearly production is about 4000 bottles from his own cellar, plus he sells the wine of his wife's uncle (Didimi) who is 82 years old and also makes wine the traditional way in a village 30 km from here (makes 2000 bottles more).
To complement his small production Ramaz occasionally looks for local people who have a family parcel and make wine for themselves, if they're interested and after he speaks with them and is sure they work naturally in the vineyard, he can buy them some fruit.
Imereti is a region where there's usually no skin maceration during the vinification and Ramaz was the first to introduce some skin contact in one of his the wines.