Lado Shavishvili Cellar
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: From our visit to Tbilisi in eastern Georgia, our driver and guide took us to western Georgia where we had the opportunity to visit Lado Shavishvili Cellar in Vaio. Currently wines produced by Lado include: Aladasturi, Chkhaveri and Tsolikouri. We discovered Lado and his wife to be very welcoming.
We went to the Lado Shavishvili Cellar located in the village of Vaio in western Georgia. Lado Shavishvili is a quiet but enthusiastic and affable winemaker who started his wine journey as a child. During the 1930s Lado’s grandfather planted vineyards. Lado’s father made wine and entertained guests from around the world. Lado and his wife continue the tradition of winemaking and entertaining guests.
Lado began making wine for his family. Now he has expanded and is making wine to sell from his tasting room. Currently he produces 3,000 liters of wine (4,000 bottles). He plans to plant more grape varieties.
The tasting room is in two sections. To the left is a small bar for tasting and purchasing wines. One decanter caught our attention. It was a wooden bottle with a carving of a grapevine and grapes in the wood. To the right of the tasting area there is a room decorated with Georgian crafts particularly wine bottles and clay wine drinking vessels. This second room also serves as an area for a traditional Georgian supra. Be sure to take a look at the wonderful craftsmanship of the Georgian arts.
Supra
We had a delicious meal at Lado’s featuring traditional Georgian foods. The weather was beautiful and we relished sitting outside to enjoy a bit of Georgian tradition. Our supra included katleti a beef-like sausage paired with Aladasturi wine. There was also a meat and rice mixture covered with a kale leaf. Other dishes included cold chicken, bread, cheese and other dishes. At the end of our meal we were offered coffee or tea. We chose tea and a short time later a very elegant blue cup of tea trimmed with gold arrived.
Vineyards and Wines
In the vineyard, Chkhaveri grapes are grown on a very high trellis, about eight feet high. Lado is able to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and other vegetables under the trellised grapevines. This provides optimum use of the land. There are also plantings of Aladasturi, Otskhanuri Sapere and Tsolikouri. Lado hopes to plant additional varieties in the future.
We tasted two vintages of Tsolikouri. The 2008 was a yellow color with an aroma of wild flowers. The taste was slightly sweet and floral. The finish was crisp with a floral aftertaste. Tsolikouri 2013 was a light yellow with a floral aroma. The taste offered floral and yellow stone fruit notes. The finish was crisp with floral and fruity notes and a long aftertaste.
Chkhaveri 2008 was produced with no skin contact. The aroma was floral while the taste offered floral notes of roses, honey and yellow stone fruits. The finish was crisp. Saperavi 2011 was a light purple with dark fruit notes and mild tannins. Aladasturi 2013 was a red color with a dark pink hue. The aroma offered spice notes especially pepper. The taste offered spice notes with pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, raspberry and tart cherry. The wine had mild tannins. The finish was crisp.
Chacha, with a clear color, had heat. The Chacha had a long aftertaste of fruit.
When you visit western Georgia be sure to inquire about visiting the Lado Shavishvili Cellar. You will enjoy meeting Lado and his wife as well as the wine tasting experience.
Lado Shavishvili Cellar
Vaio, Adjara, Georgia
Article written April 2014
