Georgia, the birth of Nimbi
written by Erika Mantovan
The Cotarella team’s new project debuts at Vinitaly and Looks to the great terroirs of the Caucasus
In Kakheti, in the district of Khashmi, about 40 kilometers from Tbilisi, a new name is emerging on the Georgian wine scene: Nimbi, produced under the technical direction of the Cotarella team.
Presented at Vinitaly, the project is overseen locally by Francesco Fossati, a long‑time collaborator of Riccardo Cotarella, who blends Italian enological expertise with the vision of Georgian founders Bacho Bugdiashvili and Vato Otkhmezuri.
The result is a trilogy of wine collections — Intento, Origine, and Memoria — that pay tribute respectively to native grape varieties, the territory, and the wine’s evolutionary potential, expressed through depth, character, and precision.
While Intento has already made its market debut, Origine and Memoria are coming soon, marking the next chapters of Nimbi’s stylistic journey.
A land with an ancient wine heritage
Georgia is today one of the most dynamic wine‑producing countries in Eastern Europe, with over 55,000 hectares of vineyards, more than 70% of which are found in Kakheti, the cradle of the vine and the ancestral qvevri method.
In the Khashmi area, where Nimbi has planted its first 10 hectares (with plans to expand up to 100), the continental climate and strong diurnal temperature shifts allow for slow ripening and the development of complex aromatic profiles.
The main grape varieties of the project are Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, alongside Kisi, Mtsvane, and Khikhvi for the whites, and Alexandrouli, Ojaleshi N, and Mujuretuli for the reds.
This biodiversity allows Nimbi’s team to unveil the true potential of Georgian grapes, bringing order, precision, and balance to a viticulture historically more instinctive than technical.
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The Nimbi Philosophy
“Nimbi was born from the idea that Georgian wine should not sell its history, but rather demonstrate what its land can offer today,” reads the company’s manifesto on .
The motto — No myths, no medals. Just sun, slope, soil, and will. — encapsulates a philosophy based on discipline, awareness, and measure.
In a market where many references remain uneven or unfinished, Nimbi wines stand out for their pure aromas, tasting harmony, and velvety texture, finally revealing the authentic expression of Georgia’s native varieties and their mesoclimatic character.
Georgia thus finds a new international voice, convincing from the first tasting — particularly with the upcoming Rkatsiteli 2025: bright zesty and cedar notes, subtle hints of vanilla and pear, and a vertical, juicy palate, its power finely balanced by tension and acidity (95)