Ojaleshi

One of Georgia’s Oldest vine varieties, Ojaleshi, means ‘growing on a tree’ in the Megrelian dialect of Georgian (ja meaning tree). It was the dominant variety in the mountainous region of Samegrelo in north-western Georgia, where it was trained as a maghlari vine to grow up persimmon or adler trees. Ojaleshi was widely cultivated in this manner throughout Guria’s central and upper mountain villages before the arrival of fungal diseases and phylloxera in the late 19th and early 20th centuries decimated vineyards. Current plantings are trained lower to the ground, as in Guyot simple or double, which lowers yields but produces higher-quality fruit. Typically, Ojaleshi is ruby-coloured, semi-sweet to sweet wine with a gentle bouquet of red fruits lifted by hints of pepper or spice.