Aladasturi Wine

Aladasturi is a black-skinned red wine grape variety grown in Georgia, in the Caucasus between Asia and Europe. It is used in the production of semi-dry rose wines, and is permitted as a component of a blend with a number of other varieties effectively native and unique to the Georgian Republic.

Georgia is considered to be the cradle of winemaking, as research has shown that the wine grape Vitis vinifera evolved in this area and archaeologists have found evidence of organized wine production from as long ago as 6000 BC. Although modern wineries exist and produce large amounts of high quality wine there are still individuals making wine in the traditional way, training vines up trees and fermenting in buried clay jars to control the temperature and protect the container.

Georgian wine was highly valued when the country was part of the Soviet Union, although political tensions have made it difficult to trade with modern Russia at times. An embargo in 2006 preventing the shipping of Georgian wine into Russia was alleged to be in response to counterfeiting of wines. It was thought that Georgian producers were importing wine then blending it and reselling it as Georgian. Although the embargo doubtless harmed the local producers' trade, it was in a way a compliment to the quality expected of the wine as well.