Fully Hand-Crafted
Winemakers: Data Gamgoneishvili
Country/Region: Georgia, Kakheti
Vineyards: 27 hectares
Vineyard Management: Bio-certified
Soils: Alluvial, clay, loam
Grapes: Saperavi, Kisi, Rktatsiteli
Quick Facts:
SC Friends’ Cellar is an endeavor of a group of friends from eleven different countries united with their love and appreciation of the country of Georgia, including its nature, people, and traditions. Their journey, which started in 2008, has evolved into Ikano Estate under the vision of Data Gamgoneishvili who joined JSC Friends’ Cellar as the chief winemaker for Ikano Estate. Data was educated in Europe as a Master of Wine-Viticulture, before returning to Georgia to expand on traditional wine practices and technology.
The foundation of Ikano Estate is in the vineyards, where a sustainable and ecological viticulture is practiced. They are located in Kvareli, Georgia where they own more than 27 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards are the heart of Ikano Estate and all their viticulture practices are fully hand-crafted. In 2019 they started transitioning from conventional to bio-dynamic practices with the goal to have all vineyards bio-certified by the harvest of 2024.
Winery
The winery is nestled in the middle of an ancient urban center with many historical wineries and wine artifacts located in close vicinity. While building the winery they discovered an outer-wall of an ancient city with remains of a cellar dated to the 1st century B.C. They currently have 20 qvevris, with a total volume of 32, 000 liters, allowing them to produce 40, 000 bottles of qvevri wines annually.