The FINANCIAL — Couple of days ago I’ve heard from my friend about a hotel which opened in Kakheti. After hearing tons of praising words about this place, I decided to find out more about it.
It turned out that the hotel called “Twin’s Old Cellar” opened in autumn of 2008. It’s located in an ancient region of Kakheti on Alazani Valley, in village called Napareuli, known as a micro-zone of wine making. This region is famous for rich history of viticulture and wine. Situated on the territory of old Marani restored by twin brothers Gela and Gia Gamtkitsulashvilis, it’s a wonderful place both for foreigners and Georgians.
Hotel with 8 rooms equipped with cold and hot water (individually), air-conditioning, telephone and all the other things needed for comfort and relaxation. The hotel stands in the vineyard with Marani (location for storing wine in special pitchers) and pitchers inside. There’s a conference hall well suited for 70 people.
As a guest you’re offered an unforgettable experience of opening the Qvevris (Georgian traditional pitchers) and exquisite wine-tasting, participating in seasonal vintage in September-November, pressing out the wine and distillation of vodka (Zavodoba).
You can also take join the making of Churchkhelas and taste Mtsvadis roasted on vine twigs or boiled beef, cooked on firewood. Another service offered at the hotel is making of a branded wine.
What distinguishes twin’s marani, is that here wine is made in old ancestral pitchers (Qvevri), weighting 4 tons each. The natural filtering of red and white wines lasts for 4 months in the Qvevris, thus excluding chemical processing. Wine made in Qvevris stands out pureness, exquisite taste and distinguishing soft bouquet. Wine making is based on wine producing family traditions, which began in Napareuli, in an old wine cellar of kakhetian man and this tradition was continued by the generations for many years. The wine is made in pitchers; it has natural filtering for 4 months and is not chemically processed.
As twin brothers are noting wine tours accompanied by making of Khinkali and Chuchkhelas are doing well in terms of attracting investors.The Japanese and Latvians have been interested with exporting wine made in Qvevris. Japanese investors were delighted with the results of the tests of wines made in clay vessels. Tests have shown that these wines are good against aging, due to antidioxants, that they contain.
„The initial investment for the construction of the hotel was GEL 100,000. This investment included the design of a new Conference Hall.The hotel is well suited for 24 visiotrs per day. The price includes breakfast. The dinner and supper are additional costs. But meantime you can listen to old kakhetian folk songs, which give spiritualism and divine illusion to the whole experience,“ says Gela Gamtkitsulashvili.
As twins are saying in the future they are going to build an artificial lake for where guests can fish. Also they are going to offer horse riding tours.
At “Twin’s Old Cellar” you can taste 4 kinds of wine called “Tevani”:
First is “Kakhuri” (qvevri).This amber-coloured wine has a special aroma and taste with distinctive soft bouquet. It is made by boiling with chacha in pitcher, naturally filtered white bio- wine, from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes, grown in Napareuli microzone.
The second is “Europian”. “Europian” is a dry, white wine.The wine is light straw-coloured, it has fruity aroma and harmonic taste.
Third and fourth are “Saperavi” and “Kaberne”, two red dry wines, made of Saperavi and kaberne grapes, with distinctive breading aromas.
The interior is equipped with old family goods. They harmonically meet modern standards, which give guests an unforgettable impression of the past and present way of Georgian life.
On top of all this you can visit the thone – Georgian bakery next to the hotel and eat traditional Shoti (Kakhetian bread) or “Deda’s Puri”, the other national type of bread.
The prices of the rooms aren’t so high and range from GEL 70 to GEL 150. One night at the hotel costs GEL 50 a person. The hotel cost includes breakfast: Dinner and supper orders of tradition Kakhetian dishes, dinner and supper in open-air or closed-type cellar in front of the fireplace, mini-bar with Georgian pitchers. There are discounts for loyal clients are 20%, so don’t miss your chance.
Written By Levan Lomtadze
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