Jimmy Smith of Wine with Jimmy on Georgian Wine and Keeping an Open Mind

28th May 2026

Jimmy Smith of Wine with Jimmy on Georgian Wine and Keeping an Open Mind

Wine educator Jimmy Smith of Wine with Jimmy recently returned to Tbilisi for another WSET teaching session, followed by “a class, a glass and a bottle” — and of course, more exploration of Georgia’s wine culture along the way.

Between tastings, lessons and plenty of conversations, we sat down with him for a short interview about Georgian wine, education, orange wine misconceptions, and why keeping an open mind matters more than ever in wine.

Q: You’ve built Wine with Jimmy around making wine approachable and fun. How approachable is Georgian wine at the moment? Does it seem too complicated or too exotic?

I think Georgian wine is both complicated and exotic, and both of those things can be very positive. Of course, they can also be intimidating, and that intimidation is often what turns consumers off — not just in the UK, but globally.

If people find something strange or unusual, many will wait for somebody else to investigate it first and report back. Georgian wines definitely sound different in their etymology. The grape names are not necessarily favourable or easy to pronounce for English speakers, and I think that can become a barrier. We see that with other grape varieties around the world as well.

This is where education comes in.

Q: When did Georgian wine first appear on your radar, and what was your honest first impression?

Georgian wine first appeared on my radar around 15 years ago. My honest opinion was that it was interesting, but unusual.

Actually, my first experience wasn’t directly with Georgia. It was with Georgian-style skin-contact wines from the Slovenian border area of Collio. I tasted those wines and thought: this is unusual, I don’t really understand it.

I was taught within a very traditional framework of wine education, and I suppose I was initially intimidated by these wines, so I didn’t investigate them as much as I should have. Then I realised I needed to keep an open mind. That became a core pillar of my philosophy as an educator.

The second revolution of orange wines eventually led me to the first revolution of orange wine — Georgia.

I took my first trip to Georgia around 2012. I went to Sighnaghi, visited key producers, especially through connections with John Wurdeman, which gave me an English-speaking bridge into the country and the culture. I started exploring Kakhetian styles — extracted, powerful, muscular, intense wines — and I remember thinking: wow, these are fascinating.

Then, over the next ten years, I realised just how diverse Georgian wine actually is. Places like Imereti and Samegrelo have completely different philosophies and expressions.

Q: A lot of UK consumers still freeze when they see names like Rkatsiteli or Ojaleshi on a label. How do you personally introduce Georgian grapes to people without making it feel like a geography exam?

I try to be exceptionally honest when I teach Georgian grape varieties. I openly say to students: look, these names may be difficult for you because they’re difficult even for me as an educator.

But we should embrace researching them. Research the grape variety, understand the history, where it comes from, whether there are links to more familiar modern grapes. That’s fascinating.

I’ve done lots of education through Wine with Jimmy and the West London Wine School to help people stop being intimidated or anxious about Georgian varieties and instead embrace them.

Sometimes you can even shorten the names a little bit, like R-cats for Rkatsiteli, for example and make them feel friendlier and cooler.

Q: If you had to explain Georgian amber wine to someone who normally drinks Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, what comparison or shortcut would you use?

Whenever I sneak an orange or amber wine into a tasting — which I do quite frequently, even on introductory tastings — I usually give people a kind of warning first. Not in a negative sense, but just to prepare them and hopefully clear their minds of any bias.

I explain that historically there were four colours of wine. But because of modernisation and industrialisation, we mostly reduced wine into three categories: white, red and rosé. Amber wine is that forgotten fourth category, and arguably the oldest one.

I also tell people not to jump immediately into the deepest, most tannic amber wines. You can begin with lighter skin-contact styles — wines with two or three days on skins — before moving further into the category.

There are many skin-contact wines that don’t even look particularly amber. That can be a very good introduction for people who normally drink Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

Q: If you were putting together a “starter pack” of three Georgian wines for a UK drinker, what would you include?

Georgia is far too diverse to explain in just three wines, so I have to generalise slightly.

I’d begin with a more familiar, European-style Georgian wine — maybe an indigenous grape variety made without skin contact. Even if it’s fermented in qvevri, I’d start with something cleaner and more approachable so people can taste the authenticity of Georgia without being overwhelmed.

Then I’d move toward a lighter skin-contact wine, perhaps something more western Georgian in style.

And finally, I’d introduce a very traditional, structured and powerful qvevri wine from eastern Georgia.

Different people connect with different stages. Some will love the first wine, some the second, and some will completely fall for the deep traditional styles.

Q: What’s one misconception about Georgian wine you’d happily get rid of for good?

The idea that all Georgian wine is skin-contact, amber, orange, oxidised, natural, faulty, sweet, or made in qvevri.

Because orange wine became so associated with Georgia in the UK during the early 2000s, people started to think all Georgian wines fit into one category.

But not all Georgian wine is natural, and not all natural wine is Georgian. If we generalise too broadly, we end up reducing an incredibly diverse country into a stereotype, and that’s unfair.

Q: How does it feel to teach international wines to Georgians who are very rooted in their own tradition?

I love teaching in Georgia because the tradition here is still so alive — whether that’s arts, dancing, singing, gastronomy or wine. I experience that every time I come here.

There’s a lot of intensity and complexity in Georgian wine, especially when we talk about amber wine, skin-contact wines, qvevri, or powerful varieties like Saperavi.

When I teach international wines here, I see a real hunger and thirst for knowledge from students. There’s increasing access now through schools like Khetsuriani Sommelier School, and that’s wonderful to see.

At the same time, there’s a calibration challenge. Georgian palates are often very accustomed to pronounced structure and intensity — especially from varieties like Saperavi — so tasting lighter international wines can feel very different. But that calibration broadens horizons.

Students begin understanding both Georgian and international wines more deeply.

Q: What do you like most about your visits to Georgia?

I love Georgians! I think the real beauty of Georgia is rooted in tradition and people.

The people here are exceptionally warm and welcoming. There’s a beauty in the way things are done here, and it’s also incredibly heartfelt. I genuinely feel part of the family when I’m here.

This is probably my sixth trip to Georgia now, and every visit deepens that connection.

The gastronomy is incredible — I can’t get enough of Georgian food. Then there’s the wine, the hospitality, and the immense amount of history. Whether it’s the early adoption of Christianity, Queen Tamar, struggles against empires, or the long historical arc of the country, everything contributes to a fascinating story.

Q: A piece of advice to Georgians who are considering taking a WSET course with you at Shalva Khetsuriani Sommelier School?

I would say that WSET is an international qualification that opens multiple beautiful doors across many walks of life, languages, cultures and histories.

Most importantly, keep an open mind.

If you are Georgian, you are learning and speaking about wine in a language that is not your native tongue. That is naturally challenging, and you shouldn’t feel discouraged by that.

It's also something wonderful — immersing yourself in an international world of wine through English.

Keep an open mind and embrace everything wine has to offer, because wine covers multiple disciplines and cultures.

Q: Georgian wine in three words?

Inviting. Fascinating. Complex.