Cheese · Geographical indication (Sakpatenti, no. 6) · Kakheti
Also labelled ქართული ყველი (Kartuli Kveli)
A semi-hard cow and sheep and goat and buffalo's milk cheese from Eastern Georgia: Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti.
Registered under the plain name Georgian Cheese, this is a brined, rindless table cheese of cow's, sheep's, goat's or buffalo's milk or a blend, with at least half cow's milk in a blend. It is a cylinder with slightly bulging sides, 10 to 14 cm high, 24 to 28 cm across and 4 to 6 kg, marked by the mould or cloth it drained in. It is salted and ripened at least 60 days in brine, a sour-whey brine in the specification's description, which it says gives tenderness. Kakheti is one of its five regions, and the specification says 60 to 70 percent is made on mountain summer pastures.
Made in: Eastern Georgia: Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti
Uniform, firm and slightly crumbly, white to slightly yellowish, with round, oval and angular eyes. Moderately salty with a faint sour note, a little spicy and with a pleasant lactic taste, per the Sakpatenti specification.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
Georgian Cheese is brined at least 60 days and is moderately salty, with a faint sour note and a lactic taste. Tsinandali PDO is dry and medium-bodied with high acidity and no tannin, so nothing turns bitter against the salt.
Georgian Cheese is firm, brined at least 60 days and moderately salty. These oak-aged dry Saperavi are full-bodied with medium to firm tannin and medium to high acidity, and the salt of the cheese rounds off the tannin.
The grapes behind these winesSaperaviRkatsiteliMtsvane Kakhuri
Seasonal route from Alvani over the 72 km Abano Pass road to Omalo, in the area whose summer pastures supply chogi and Tushetian guda. georgia.travel gives late May to September as the open season, with the pass closed by heavy snow the rest of the year; Wikivoyage says May or June to October. A small shop in Omalo sells basics including bread and cheese.
Sunday-morning market in the village beside Tsnori, a 20-minute taxi ride from Sighnaghi. Wikivoyage lists cheeses among its fresh produce, meats, crafts, clothes, livestock and farm goods. The listing is undated, so confirm the market is running before a special trip.
Yes. Sakpatenti registered Georgian Cheese (Kartuli Kveli) as geographical indication no. 6 on 24 January 2012.
In eastern Georgia, in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti, according to the specification.
10 to 14 cm high, 24 to 28 cm across, 4 to 6 kg, according to the specification.
Same cheeseboard
Plan the trip
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.sakpatenti.gov.ge, en.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
