15 best red wines from Central & Eastern Europe

More and more red wine drinkers on a quest to discover new grapes and flavours are looking to Central and Eastern Europe as these wine-producing regions offer native grape varieties and ancient production techniques.

Both Armenia and Georgia boast a long winemaking heritage. A winery in the Areni-1 cave complex was discovered by archaeologists in 2007 in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia and goes back some 6,000 years. Georgians are immensely proud of their country’s winemaking legacy – their forefathers were cultivating and fermenting grapes in 6000 BC – and wine forms a huge part of the national identity.

As with Romania, the Communist era directly impacted wine production in Armenia and Georgia. Having to create industrial amounts of brandy using non-native grape varieties for the USSR almost crippled the Armenian wine industry for good. If it wasn’t for families in remote regions making under-the-radar wines using native grapes such as Areni and Karmrahyut during that time, Armenia’s current industry simply wouldn’t exist. IWSC judges loved these two grapes in Armenia Wine Factory’s Yerevan Red Dry 2019, providing ‘juicy red fruits on the palate’.

In Georgia, qvevri – the ancient clay fermentation jars added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2013 – were replaced with Soviet steel tanks to ensure maximum and consistent output. Thankfully, Georgia’s winemakers are continuing to ferment and age wine underground in qveris today. For those wanting to try something new, why not opt for JSC Telavi Wine Cellar’s Satrapezo Saperavi 2017, made in a qvevri from the Saperavi grape. IWSC judges were wowed by its aromas of ‘juicy black fruit and elegant smokiness’.

With an incredibly long winemaking heritage, native grapes and ancient production methods, wines made in Eastern and Central Europe are going back to basics to produce stunning wines. Here are 15 top wines from the IWSC’s recent tasting.