Zegaani

Specification

Registration  No. 982

Registration date :  30/08/2022​

Place of Origin : Zegaani

Name of the product for which the designation of origin is registered : Wine

Name and address of the applicant : A(a)ip Zegaani; village Zegaani, Gurjaani district, Georgia

1.  Name : Zegaani

2.  Additional notes

3.  Type, color and basic requirements

Zegaani is a dry red organic qvevri wine that must meet the following requirements:

• Color – dark garnet (dark red);

• Aroma and taste - full-bodied, velvety, with notes of blackberry and blackcurrant, balanced tannins. Upon aging, a bouquet develops with notes of spices (pepper, cloves) and dried fruits (black plum);

• The actual alcoholic strength by volume must not be less than 12%;

• The concentration of the reduced extract mass should not be less than 24 g/l;

• Sugar content should be no more than 4 g/l;

• Titrate acidity should not be less than 5 g/l;

• The total mass concentration of sulfur dioxide must not exceed 80.0 mg/l;

• Mass concentration of iron should not exceed 10 mg/l;

• The mass concentration of copper should not exceed 2 mg/l.

4. Geographical area and zones of production

The Zegaani microzone is located on the northeastern slope of the Gombori ridge. It is bordered by Chermiskhevi to the north, and by an irrigation canal to the west and southwest, which runs southeast, crosses the road to St. George's Church, and 100 meters from it, the border turns northeast, and at the 387-meter mark, it turns at a right angle northwest parallel to the irrigation canal to Navistskal Khevi. After that, the border follows Navistskal Khevi to the east to the railway, and then it follows the railway to the northwest to Chermiskhevi.

5. Grape varieties

Zegaani can only be made from Saperavi grapes grown in the Zegaani microzone, and the use of other varieties is not permitted.

6. Vineyard cultivation, pruning, shaping and maintenance

• In the Zegaani microzone, commercial vineyards intended for the wine “Zegaani” should be cultivated at an altitude of 400-550 meters above sea level;

• The distance between rows in a vineyard can be from 1 to 2.4 meters;

• Distance between vines in a row – 1.0-1.5 m;

• Stem height – 70-90 cm;

• Shape of the graft – unilateral or bilateral Georgian, or free.

7. Grape maturity, harvest, transportation

• The sugar content of grapes intended for the production of “Zegaani” wine must not be less than 21% at the time of picking;

• Grapes may only be transported in wooden or plastic boxes, in containers made of stainless steel or painted with special paint;

• The use of polyethylene bags and/or sacks when transporting grapes is prohibited;

• During transportation, grapes should be protected as much as possible from possible damage.

8. Grape harvest and wine production:

The grape harvest per 1 hectare of vineyard should not exceed 10 tons. The wine yield should not exceed:

• 650 liters – from one ton of grapes;

• 6500 liters – from one hectare of vineyard.

9. Grape processing, winemaking and bottling

Grapes intended for the production of Zegani must be harvested only from vineyards cultivated in the Zegani microzone. The time from grape picking to pressing must not exceed 3 hours;

The wine “Zegaani” is made in a qvevri through complete alcoholic fermentation of durdo grapes;

In the production of “Zegaani” wine, only those operations, materials and substances permitted by the Technical Regulation No. 524 of the Government of Georgia of November 6, 2018 “On the General Rules of Wine Production and the Determination of the List of Permitted Processes, Materials and Substances” are permitted;

The wine “Zegaani” must be fermented with wild yeast;

After the alcoholic fermentation is completed and the wine is removed from the lees, it is aged in a qvevri for at least 20 months;

Zegaani may only be placed on the consumer market in consumer packaging;

Grape processing, winemaking, and bottling are permitted only within the Zegaani microzone.

10. The connection between the exceptional quality of wine, its reputation and its geographical location

Climate

It is moderately humid, with hot summers and moderately cold winters. The weather formation in the microzone is determined by atmospheric processes developing in subtropical and temperate latitudes, moving from the east and west. The climate is moderately humid, with hot summers and moderately cold winters. The average annual air temperature is 12.5 ° C. The warmest months are July and August, 23.7–23.5C. The coldest month is January, +1.1 ° C.

The sum of active temperatures in the microzone is 4120-3440C.

A sustained temperature rise above 10 in the 5–50 cm deep soil layer begins on average in the first decade of April.

The first frosts of autumn in the microzone are expected to begin at the end of November (from November 27), and the last frosts of spring are expected to end by March 24.

Saperavi begins to bud in mid-April, enters flowering at the end of May, and the grapes reach technical ripeness in the second half of August.

For the latitude of Zegaani, the height of the sun from the horizon varies within 70-600 during the period of grape berry formation, and within 50-400 during the period of grape ripening, which creates an effective radiation regime for vines on slopes slightly inclined (2-3 ° C) to the northeast.

The annual duration of sunlight in the Zegaani microzone varies within the limits of 2150-2200 hours. During the growing season, the sun shines for 1600 hours. The annual value of total radiation in Zegaani is not higher than 130 kcal/cm2, and during the growing season it is within the limits of 95-100 kcal/cm2. Direct radiation on a horizontal surface is 75 kcal/cm2 annually, and diffuse radiation is 54 kcal/cm2.

Soil

The microzone is characterized by brown carbonate soils, the agronomic characteristics of which allow for the production of high-quality wine.

The depth of the soil profile is within 80-100 cm, developed on highly carbonated clay-sandy layers. The humus content in the upper soil horizons is average (4-5%), which sharply decreases with depth to 1.4-1.6%. The total thickness of the humus layer is 40-50 cm. The reaction of the soil solution is alkaline and strongly alkaline (8.4-8.7). The soil belongs to light clays, with clay accumulation in the middle part of the profile. The soil is strongly carbonated from the surface (11-13%), and in the middle and lower parts of the profile it is characterized by very strong carbonate content (35-50%). The soil is mostly superficially porous, the porosity decreases with depth and is mainly represented in the form of fine pebbles. According to the nutrient composition, the soil is poor in plant-available nitrogen and phosphorus, but is provided with potassium.

Vineyards in the microzone are cultivated on carbonate and clay soils, which, in combination with the mesoclimate, are very favorable for viticulture and give the wine a special flavor and complexity. The warm days and cool nights of autumn contribute to a sharp increase in sugar concentration.

The significant duration of sunlight during the growing season (1600 days) and the fairly high sum of active temperatures (over 4000 degrees Celsius) ensure good ripening of the grapes, which is so important for this type of wine.

Human factor

Viticulture and winemaking have been practiced in the Zegaani microzone since time immemorial. At the beginning of the 19th century, the estate of Aleksandre Chavchavadze, which was distinguished by significant capital investments and advanced technologies, flourished here.

The abolition of serfdom in the second half of the 19th century gave a powerful impetus to the development of the sector and the economy in general. The Kakheti region quickly entered the sphere of general capitalist relations, and the process of forming capitalist farms began.

These processes became more tangible for viticulture and winemaking in the 1880s, when the Department of Princely Estates massively purchased the estates of Kakheti nobles, including in Mukuzani and Zegani, and began to rapidly modernize vineyards and wineries.

These processes were further strengthened in the 1920s, when Georgian scientific centers in Tbilisi and Telavi began operating – new vineyards were planted with grafted seedlings, a winery equipped with modern equipment was built in Zegaani, and new technologies were introduced.

Throughout this period, prominent professionals such as G. Gogol-Yanovsky, Merle Antoine Massono, Vladimir Staroselsky, Ovcharenko, A. Tushmalishvili, Z. Jorjadze, A. Egorov, S. Cholokashvili, K. Modebadze, G. Beridze, G. Zardiashvili, M. Vardanashvili, V. Shavgulidze and others worked in the field, engaged in scientific activities, developed and perfected new technologies, introduced them into production and created new wines.

1 Bondo Kalandadze - "History of Georgian Wine", p. 50.

Thus, the geographical location of the Zegaani microzone, the climate characteristic of the region: moderately warm winters and hot summers, moderate amounts of precipitation, appropriate soils, the special characteristics of the Saperavi variety characteristic of this zone, and the local, centuries-old tradition of viticulture and winemaking determine the unique organoleptic properties of the Zegaani wine, characteristic only of this wine.

11. Special labeling rules:

The following will be included on the label, packaging, accompanying documents and advertising materials:

In Georgian – Zegaani

Protected designation of origin

In Latin script – ZEGAANI

Protected Designation of Origin and/or PDO

In Russian font – ЗЕГААНИ

Protected designation of origin

12. Registration and notification

The recording and reporting of technological processes for the production and storage of "Zegaani" is carried out in accordance with the "Rules for Recording and Reporting Technological Processes in Viticulture and Winemaking Practice" approved by Order No. 2-78 of the Minister of Agriculture of January 24, 2019.

13. Basic control parameters

During the control of the production process of the protected designation of origin wine "Zegaani", the producer must confirm to the LEPL - National Wine Agency the compliance with the following parameters:

Control parameters

Evaluation methods

Vineyard location

Cadastral map, on-site inspection

Area

Vineyard registration journal, cadastre

Grape variety

Vineyard accounting journal, on-site inspection

Cultivation methods

Agrotechnical activities registration journal , medication journal, on - site inspection

Harvesting and transportation

Vintage magazine

Grape yield per hectare

Vintage magazine

Total grape harvest

Vintage magazine

Grape processing site, winemaking and winemaking

Grape receipt log , grape processing log, product turnover log, laboratory analysis logs, notifications, on-site inspection

Place and conditions for bottling , packaging and storage of wine

Casting journal , finished goods warehouse movement journal , laboratory analysis journals​​

Physico - chemical characteristics of wine during the winemaking process, before and after bottling

Laboratory analysis logs

Organoleptic characteristics of wine

Tasting Commission Minutes

Traceability

Technological and laboratory equipment

14. Production Control Body: State control over the observance of production specifications and the correct use of the designation of origin is carried out by the LEPL - National Wine Agency in accordance with the rules established by the legislation of Georgia.

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