Vinalia x Tbilvino, Mtsvane

Founded in 1963, Tbilvino was a key player in Soviet-era Georgian winemaking. After the Soviet Union's collapse, the Margvelashvili brothers revitalized the winery, shifting focus from mass production to quality. By embracing Georgia’s ancient viticulture and modern techniques, they restored Tbilvino’s reputation. Today, the winery produces both traditional qvevri-aged wines and innovative expressions of native Georgian grapes like Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, and Saperavi.

Georgia boasts one of the world's oldest winemaking traditions, with evidence of viticulture dating back over 8,000 years. This region is where Vitis vinifera, the source of nearly all fine wine grapes, originated. Renowned for its amber (or orange) wines, traditionally fermented in qvevri, the nation is experiencing a renaissance in the global wine scene. At the country’s eastern edge, Kakheti is Georgia’s largest and most important winegrowing region, comprising roughly three-quarters of total wine production.

Meaning “green” in Georgian, the name “Mtsvane” is confusingly applied to at least six grapes in the Republic of Georgia. When used on its own, “Mtsvane” generally refers to “Mtsvane Kakhuri,” the variety native to the celebrated Kakheti region. When bottled on its own in a fresh style, Mtsvane exudes “green” flavors of kiwi and citrus, not dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc. Mtsvane is also commonly aged with skin contact in giant qvevri to produce orange wines.