Eclipse Winery — A Quest for Quality and Terroir Exploration
In this interview with winemaker Bachana Abesadze, we discuss the origins and philosophy behind Eclipse Winery. Bachana shares insights on their commitment to quality, experimentation, and exploring unique terroirs. He explains the significance of the winery's name, inspired by the ancient Nekresi fire temple, and emphasizes their meticulous vineyard management, thoughtful use of ancient and modern techniques, and patient approach to aging wines.
Let’s start from the beginning. How did Eclipse start?
The winery was established by two friends Zurab Darsavelidze and Davit Khmelidze from completely different business spheres, but both are extremely passionate about wine. One of them even ran his own family winery before Eclipse. The idea of creating a united winery came after traveling abroad, tasting wines, and visiting wineries. They thought, “Why not create a winery similar to those we enjoy in Italy or France—one that focuses on quality over quantity, with an emphasis on experimentation and terroir exploration.
Which year was that?
2019 was the official founding of the company. In 2020, we started planting our own vineyards, and we had our first harvest that same year with sourced grapes. Our first Qvevri wines were made in 2022, and the hotel on our premises was finished in 2023. We also started producing high-alcohol spirits in 2020—specifically brandy—of which we are currently aging 30 tons that aren’t yet for sale. Even now, we consider ourselves to be in the research and development phase, because our vineyards have not reached full maturity. We’re still finding our style with these specific terroirs, and every vintage is a chance to improve our methods and refine techniques that we already see working for us.
Can we talk a little bit about the name, which is rather unusual too?
The name comes from the nearby ruins of the Nekresi fire temple, a Zoroastrian site. It's believed the temple aligned with solar events like solstices, incorporating elements of solar worship, which inspired our name "Eclipse".
You mentioned a style or direction for Eclipse. How would you characterize it?
If we had to simplify, there are two main directions. One is a blend of Georgian and international varieties—for example, our blend of Rkatsiteli and Chardonnay, which has become somewhat of a crowd favorite. The other direction is about terroir exploration: depending on the variety and the specific plot, we experiment with farming practices, fermentation, and aging methods to showcase the unique terroirs we have access to.
What is the current capacity of the winery at this stage, in terms of bottle count?
It depends on the vintage, but we always stay under 100,000 bottles annually. Our capacity for processing grapes is around 250,000 to 300,000 tons. Essentially, the winery is built to handle our vineyards once they’re fully mature. So, our future development won’t focus on expanding or scaling up; instead, it will involve continuous experimentation and improvements within the capacity we already have.
Tell us about the different types of wines you currently produce.
We have classically made white wines, classically made reds, amber wines made in Qvevri, and wines made in Italian amphoras. We also age some wines in oak—this includes whites, ambers, and reds.
Can you share a bit more about amphoras, which are quite unusual in Georgia.
Yes, we imported them from Italy to see how they’d work with our techniques and varieties. Initially, we tried making traditional Kakhetian amber wines in them, but we’ve now switched to making non-skin-contact wines in amphoras. Those have shown more promise than the skin-contact wines we tried in previous years.
Why do you think Qvevri worked better than amphora for your skin-contact wines?
I believe Qvevri, as a vessel, is almost ideal for skin-contact wines due to its shape and, importantly, its size—usually around 1,200 to 1,800 liters. This volume strikes a great balance for extraction during fermentation, helping wines become more robust and well-extracted.
How about the élevage of wines? We’ve tasted some that are still aging in barrels and tanks. Is that part of your philosophy?
Absolutely. Seventy percent of our current wines aren’t on the market yet. Some wines from our very first vintage are still aging in bottles. This is a deliberate approach: we age the wines until they reach what we consider their optimal point. We don’t feel pressured to release them prematurely. It’s one of the key principles the founders insist on. Some of our Saperavi, for instance, need three or four years of aging to truly show their best qualities. But there’s no formula—we assess each wine individually and monitor its development. We’re proud to have that kind of flexibility.
Do you think scale is a factor in that approach?
Definitely. As I mentioned, the winery’s philosophy is to experiment and produce wines of higher interest, so our production scale needs to stay relatively limited. That way, we can maintain careful control over every step of the process, from planting vines to selling the bottles. Naturally, that puts a cap on how big we can get.
Let’s switch to vineyards.
Sure. Like I mentioned, we have international varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese, alongside Kakhetian varieties like Kisi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, Saperavi, and Khikhvi. These vineyards are spread across three distinct terroirs: our smallest holding is around the winery in Kuchatani; we have another around the Nekresi monastery; and a third in Sanavardo, on both banks of the Bursa River. Most of the vines were imported from Rauscedo, while the varieties not available from them were bought locally. Our main challenge now is optimizing our agricultural practices for each vintage and finding the perfect balance of yield and quality. From pruning to other green operations, we’re constantly fine-tuning depending on the vintage. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula, because each variety has its own ripening cycles and agronomic needs.
Rootstocks are a hot topic in the Georgian wine industry. How did you choose yours?
We did a detailed soil analysis of each vineyard and sent the results to Rauscedo. They recommended two rootstocks, SO4 and Kober 5BB—which, amusingly enough, are already the most commonly used in Georgia, especially in Kakheti. Locals actually call Kober 5BB “Mtsare,” meaning “spicy,” implying it’s a wild variety that pests avoid. You’ll see Kober 5BB growing wild all over Kakheti.
Any rare Georgian varieties?
Yes, we have a small plot of Kakhuri Mtsvivani. It has a tragic story, though: in its second year, it got severely damaged by hail, so we had to replant. That means we haven’t yet had a chance to properly experiment with it. Based on my assessment, however, it has great potential to join the “big four” Kakhetian whites and become one of the key varieties for the region.
Since we’ve mentioned international varieties, I’d like your assessment of how they perform in Kakhetian soil.
Cabernet Franc and Merlot have already shown excellent results, with good potential to get even better. We’re pleased with our Cabernet Sauvignon so far. Sangiovese has been more challenging—we’re still experimenting to find the perfect approach. As for Chardonnay, we already have a successful Rkatsiteli-Chardonnay blend, and we went a step further and made a sparkling version of that blend in 2024, which is showing a lot of promise. Overall, we’re very happy with the international varieties in our vineyards and excited to keep experimenting.
Even though the winery has only a few vintages under its belt, can we talk about them? Which ones were your favorites, and which were challenging?
Sure. Our first vintage was 2020. It was a bit nerve-wracking because the winery was still partly under construction, and some equipment hadn’t arrived yet. We weren’t at full capacity. The vintage itself was pretty good, especially until mid-September, but the latter part saw a lot of rain, which created challenges. The 2021 vintage was similar in that the start and end went smoothly, but the middle was very rainy. As for 2022, we consider it one of our best so far.
It’s worth noting that 2022 was extremely dry—perhaps the longest drought Kakheti has seen in a decade. Does that indicate your terroir prefers drier vintages?
Absolutely. Our vineyards seem to shine in drier conditions, and 2022 confirmed that for us. Most of our wines that are undergoing extended aging and are meant to last long-term come from that vintage. As for 2023, it was a catastrophe for just about everyone. It started with hail, followed by nonstop rain, then extremely hot days in between—just perfect conditions for mildew. Like most wineries, we only managed about 50% of our usual crop. On the other hand, 2024 has been wonderful, especially after such a rough 2023. Subjectively, I’d say 2024 might be one of the best recent vintages, especially for reds.
Since we’ve touched on Eclipse’s future, let’s talk about the future of Georgian wine as a whole.
If I had to highlight a challenge, I’d say vineyard practices are our biggest hurdle. Overall, there’s still a mindset of quantity over quality, stemming from historical and economic reasons. Grapes are often grown to be sold rather than made into fine wine. Looking ahead, I believe the focus should be on terroir-driven winemaking, ideally with more single-vineyard wines that highlight each site’s unique qualities. On a positive note, I’m happy to see so many small family and boutique wineries popping up; they drive experimentation, development, and that micro-focused, single-vineyard approach to winemaking.
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