Shavnabada Monastery

The Oldest Newest Wine Region in the World

"A working monastery outside Tbilisi with an old stone cellar where monks make qvevri-aged wines as part of their spiritual labor; long-aged bottles yield complex, savory results (a 2004 Mtsvane suggested nuts and smoke after 13 years in qvevri; a 2007 Saperavi was dark, curranty, and tart). The monks reject filtration and additives as disrespectful, view wine as sacred and communal, and produce it with a purpose of hospitality and making people happy rather than profit." - Ray Isle