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Wineries · Kakheti · Georgia
Pheasant’s Tears
Pheasant’s Tears makes the qvevri connection tangible: local grapes, skin contact and buried earthenware vessels in a Georgian wine story.
Photo: Alexxx1979, 2014-05-03 13:17:06. Original photograph · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; no generative changes.
The quick profile
- Where to begin
- Kakheti · Georgia
- The producer
- Producer associated with qvevri winemaking
- A useful time marker
- A Georgian vessel tradition
Start with the vessel
The producer describes fermenting and ageing its wines in qvevri: earthenware vessels buried in the ground. Its account links the cellar’s vineyard setting with a short journey from harvest to pressing. These are first-hand descriptions of the producer’s approach, not a rule that every Georgian winery follows the same process. The wider Kakheti guide helps place the method inside a varied modern wine region.
White grapes, another path
Skin contact makes an especially useful question when meeting Georgian white-grape wines. The producer describes varying maceration according to grape and vessel, including skins and selected ripe stems in its traditional approach. Ask about the particular bottling rather than assuming one duration. Colour, aroma and tannin are separate observations. An amber appearance does not tell you the grape, the sweetness or whether every cellar choice was identical.
A useful comparison with oak
Its winemaking page describes qvevri ageing without oak barrels. That provides a clear connection to our vessel and skin-contact guides. A vessel influences the conditions in which wine develops; it does not remove the importance of fruit, harvest, fermentation and careful cellar work. Begin with the local grape name on the actual label, then read the method. Avoid treating “traditional” as a complete technical specification or a guarantee of a taste you must enjoy.
Three things to notice
- Qvevri names a vessel and an associated tradition, not a grape variety.
- Amber wine can be made from white grapes with skin contact.
- A producer’s cellar choices should not be applied to every Georgian wine.
Try a little discovery
Read a Pheasant’s Tears white-wine description and a conventional white-wine description. Find the grape, skin-contact information and ageing vessel. Sketch the two processes without tasting anything. If you do compare small pours, notice texture independently of colour and aroma.
A few questions worth uncorking
Does qvevri mean that a wine must be amber?
No. Red grapes can also be fermented in qvevri. Grape, skin contact and vessel are separate clues.
Does the photograph show this producer’s vineyards?
No. It shows Sighnaghi as regional context. The caption does not make an ownership claim.
Follow the connections
Behind this introduction
Sources checked 16 October 2026. First-hand accounts supply historical and technical context; discovery exercises are Talk to the Cork editorial interpretations. Check the producer’s information for a particular wine, vintage or visit.