“What I found surprising was that with all this winemaking tradition, there was little awareness of organic growing methods.” That was in 2017, when Kartuli Marani embarked on the mission to grow high-quality, organic wines with love and respect for the land. “We produce 15 varieties of wine and export our reds, whites and rosés to five countries, so we know that we are on the right track,” adds Tsiklauri.
“Growing wine using organic methods also means making wine using processes that are as sustainable as possible,” says Tsiklauri, “It’s a matter of being consistent and living up to our promise to our wine-loving customers.” Aligning the winemaking side to a higher level of sustainability also means significant investments, however.
“When Basis Bank told us about their partnership with GGF, the timing could not have been better,” remembers Tsiklauri. Thanks to GGF’s Green Advisory program, which provides advice by experts on how to optimize and green operations, Kartuli Marani’s was able to produce the architectural and construction designs, including cost estimates, for their green wine cellar. Concrete steps were provided to make the winemaking facilities and processes greener, for instance by installing solar panels.
Construction of the cellar will be completed by the end of 2021 with export of biodynamic wines to start in 2022. “We save costs plus we ensure the longevity of our wine processing operations,” says Tsiklauri. “There is no denying that making our operations more sustainable makes our organic wine products more attractive and competitive. And that’s also great for Georgian wines!”