Ori Marani, founded by husband and wife team Bastien Warskotte and Nino Gvantseladze in 2016 in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia, ranks among the most exciting wineries we have come across in the last few years. Bastien is originally from Champagne and grew up in a family of vignerons, graduating from the University of Burgundy in Dijon before heading out to gain experience in wineries across Bordeaux, Provence, Australia, South Africa and Canada. Nino is Georgian, with a degree in business administration and a masters in strategic management plus fluent Georgian, Russian, English and Spanish is ideally placed to take care of the administration of the winery.

Organic farmed grapes are sourced from three areas of Georgia – Kakheti, Kartli (where the winery is situated) and Imereti. After harvest, spontaneous fermentations take place in Qvevri and old French barrels with the aim of bringing out the bright, pure expression that Bastien considers an essential characteristic in his wines. Given Bastien’s background, the focus of the project is on traditional method sparkling wines and the diverse soils and expositions across three regions where the grapes are sourced allow him the freedom to blend across wines to achieve balance, freshness and consistency. Bastien is so committed to championing local produce and traditions that the ‘Areva’ bottling is primed for it’s secondary fermentation with local honey. All of the wines, still and sparkling are made in a low-intervention manner with tiny amounts of sulphite the only addition. All show a clear, pure fruit profile and a delicacy of touch that allows the native varieties to shine. We are excited and humbled to be working with Bastien and Nino on their adventure and to share these amazing new wines in the UK.