Cheese · Protected geographical indication (Sakpatenti, no. 10) · Kakheti
Also labelled სულგუნი
A stretched curd cow and buffalo and goat's milk cheese from All of Georgia, with Samegrelo and Svaneti as the historic home; made from Georgian milk.
Sulguni is a Georgian stretched-curd cheese made from cow's, buffalo's or goat's milk or a blend, raw or pasteurised. The soured curd is cut into thin layers, worked in very hot water, kneaded, by hand for classic sulguni, and folded at least four times, then salted dry or in brine. It is sold fresh, dried, aged or smoked, usually as a low rindless disc of 0.25 to 2.2 kg. The Sakpatenti specification protects the name for the whole of Georgia, Kakheti included, and traces the cheese to Samegrelo and Svaneti.
Made in: All of Georgia, with Samegrelo and Svaneti as the historic home; made from Georgian milk
Dense, elastic and layered, with layers that separate easily. Fresh sulguni is juicy and moderately salty with a lactic taste and fresh milk and cream aroma; smoked sulguni is slightly saltier with a smoke aroma, per the Sakpatenti specification.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
Smoked sulguni is a little saltier than plain, with a smoke aroma. Amber Khikhvi from qvevri is full-bodied with medium tannin and medium to high acidity, with the weight to carry the smoke and the acidity to answer the salt.
Fresh sulguni is juicy, milky and moderately salty, with layers that peel apart. These dry Mtsvane Kakhuri whites are light to medium in body with high acidity and no tannin, so the acidity lifts the milk fat and no amber grip competes.
Sulguni is dense, elastic and moderately salty; the dried type is air-dried for days or weeks after salting. These qvevri Saperavi are full-bodied with medium to firm tannin and medium acidity, and the salt of the cheese rounds off the tannin.
Fresh sulguni is juicy, milky and moderately salty. This tank-method sparkling Mtsvane Kakhuri is light-bodied and dry, with high acidity, citrus, green apple and a crisp bead that cleans the milk fat.
The grapes behind these winesSaperaviKhikhviMtsvane KakhuriKisi
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 Sulguni as a protected geographical indication, no. 10, on 24 January 2012, for the whole of Georgia.
Ivory to light yellow when made with cow's milk, white to ivory with buffalo's milk, and brownish gold outside and yellowish inside when smoked, per the specification.
The specification traces it to Samegrelo and Svaneti in western Georgia, though the protected name covers the whole country.
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.
