AB Wines: Georgian Winemaking, German Quality

Exploring the winemakers of Georgia, Saperavi Brothers hosted a conversation and tasting with Hilarius Putz of AB Wines in Tbilisi. In front of a  local international community, Putz entertained us with his seventeen year journey through the Georgian winemaking world. 

Putz grew up on the Luxembourg-German border in a traditional agricultural community. He spent much of his childhood surrounded by wine, and eventually started an influential career at a prominent Swiss wine import company.   

Meanwhile in Georgia, after years of economic hardship, came the expansion and opening of the country under President Saakashvili. Part of Saakashvilis’ economical and cultural policies was an initiative to revitalize Georgian winemaking. Putz accepted an invitation to come to Georgia to train young winemakers in standards of quality and production. Today, Putz is at the center of a Georgian-German project that places young Georgian winemakers into an apprenticeship program, expanding the future of Georgian wines reputation around the world.  

His wines, under collaboration with AB Wines, and his soon to be independent wine brand, are a fusion of traditional Georgian winemaking with German quality. He currently has seventeen qvevris, all named after important people in his life, especially his granddaughters. Our tasting crowd loved his Kisi and Saperavi Qvevri, as well as his famed Rose, which is 100% saperavi based- not blended.