I love how a simple suggestion to taste two Gravner wines can transform into a small vertical tasting of his flagship wines, complemented by a 20-year-old Breg Bianco. This setup was perfect – a few selections, and a few participants, ensuring everyone had enough space and wine. Exceptional wines like these deserve our full attention.

Regardless of how one feels about Joško Gravner, his role in the wine world, particularly in the realm of macerated white wines, cannot be overstated. Starting with a conventional approach that earned him acclaim, Gravner became disillusioned with his prospects, especially after visiting the US, a hub of conventional winemaking. He began seeking new paths, and as it often happens, all roads led him back home, where his ancestors had macerated white wines. His journey also took him to Georgia, a country just recovering from soviet influence but boasting an 8,000-year-old tradition of winemaking that even the communist regime couldn't completely destroy.

Everything converged simultaneously. In 1996, a hailstorm destroyed nearly his entire crop. With no wine to release, Gravner methodically experimented with maceration, gaining the confidence to produce a macerated wine for the market the following year. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't well-received by consumers accustomed to a different style. But by 2000, Gravner was unstoppable – he even imported two qvevri from Georgia (nine didn't survive the journey due to transportation challenges). From there, it was a continuous quest to refine his style and master his craft. According to "Amber Revolution," Joško Gravner is a tough individual. This period was challenging for him not only professionally but also personally. He cut ties with former friends and colleagues and retreated into his own world, where he created rich, aged, and arguably the best macerated white wines in the world. Our task was simple – to immerse ourselves in this world, even if only for a few hours.

Wine	Place	wavg Weighted average score for the wine, where each participant's rating is adjusted for their wine assessment expertise.	sdev Standard deviation measures the controversy of a wine's reception. A lower value signifies greater consensus among participants.	fav Count of participants who selected this wine as their evening's favourite.	price Price of the wine, if available.	volume Volume of the bottle in litres.	QPR Quality-price ratio, indicating value for money. A higher number denotes better value. Available when price is known.
Savagnin Ouillé 2020 Domaine des Notes Bleues	🏅 6th	4.0548	0.0069	0	520 UAH	0.75 L	5.0144
Ribolla 2015 Gravner	🥉 3rd	4.3095	0.0194	0	4,400 UAH	0.75 L	0.8785
Ribolla 2014 Gravner	🏅 5th	4.2294	0.0092	0	4,500 UAH	0.75 L	0.7577
Ribolla 2013 Gravner	🥈 2nd	4.4317	0.0369	3	4,500 UAH	0.75 L	1.0425
Ribolla 2010 Gravner	🥇 1st	4.4381	0.0323	4	4,500 UAH	0.75 L	1.0532
Breg Bianco 2004 Gravner	🏅 4th	4.2468	0.0498	0	4,500 UAH	0.75 L	0.7786

I extend my gratitude to Serhii, Maksym, and Andrii for providing the bottles; and to Garage and Mirali for hosting us and providing a delicious accompaniment to our evening!

P.S. Read more about Joško Gravner on a dedicated page.

Raw scores

Wine	Andrii S	Serhii K	Max D	Viktoriya Zh	Boris B	Elvira K	Oleksandr B	Serhii B
Savagnin Ouillé 2020 Domaine des Notes Bleues	4.20	4.00	4.00	4.20	4.00	4.10	4.10	–
Ribolla 2015 Gravner	4.30	4.40	4.30	4.20	4.30	4.20	4.50	4.00
Ribolla 2014 Gravner	4.25	4.20	4.20	4.20	4.20	4.30	4.25	4.50
Ribolla 2013 Gravner	4.45	4.50	4.45	4.40	4.40	4.40	4.40	5.00
Ribolla 2010 Gravner	4.30	4.40	4.50	4.40	4.50	4.20	4.60	4.00
Breg Bianco 2004 Gravner	4.40	4.70	4.30	4.00	4.10	4.10	4.40	–