Kisi

            Kisi is a Georgian variety, and this version from the Vinoterra winery is made with an ancient technique: it's fermented with the seeds and stems in large clay amphora called “qvevri” and kept there for about five months with frequent stirrings, then matured for another year in oak.

            This method produces a very idiosyncratic dry wine that is deep gold in color and has a savory, nutty character, with hints of baked apple and apricots. Although the wine is clearly oxidized, this 2006 vintage did not taste as if it had gone bad; it’s just part of this wine’s unusual character. The vintner claims that wine made this way will keep for decades.

            K&L Wines suggests smoked white fish as a pairing, so we made a salad with smoked whitefish, arugula and pecans with a lemon-olive oil dressing, and it was indeed an excellent combination. Against this powerful combination of flavors, the wine, so assertive on its own, became a supportive partner. We even had a second glass of what I had feared would be a taste-it-and-dump-it wine experiment.