Imereti
Humid continental to subtropical
Western Georgia, around Kutaisi, where white grapes are fermented in clay vessels with only a little skin contact for softer, more delicate wines.
Overview
About Imereti
Imereti is in western Georgia, around the city of Kutaisi, and its wine style differs from Kakheti's. The main grapes are the white Tsolikouri, Tsitska and Krakhuna and the red Otskhanuri Sapere, and they are traditionally fermented in the churi, the Imeretian version of the qvevri. Only a small portion of skins, seeds and stems is returned to the juice, so the wines are usually paler, lighter and less tannic than the amber wines of Kakheti.
The region is wetter and greener than the east, closer to the Black Sea, and its vineyards are small and often mixed with other crops. A number of small family producers, Baia's Wine among them, have made Imereti a centre of the natural-wine scene, and the wines are often paired with local dishes.
Imereti is marked on the map.
Georgia
Shaded: Imereti. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Humid continental to subtropical
Milder and wetter than eastern Georgia, with more rain and humidity coming in from the Black Sea. Vines are often trained high, on trees or pergolas, to promote airflow.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
A mix of clay, limestone and alluvial soils on hills and valley floors, generally richer and wetter than in the east.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Imereti wines are named for the district, and the main styles are defined by how much skin contact they see.
Imeretian method
Fermentation in churi with only a small portion of skins, seeds and stems, for softer white wines.
Kakhetian method
Fermentation with all of the skins, for amber, tannic wines, also made in Imereti by some producers.
What's grown here
Grapes
Each grape's page links back here.