Cheese · Appellation of origin (Sakpatenti, no. 14) · Kakheti
Also labelled თუშური გუდა
A semi-hard sheep and cow's milk cheese from Tusheti, in Akhmeta municipality, Kakheti, for milking, cheese-making and the start of ripening; ripening may be finished in Pshaveli, Kvemo Alvani, Zemo Alvani and Laliskhuri.
Tushuri Guda is the cheese of Tusheti, the mountain district of Akhmeta municipality in Kakheti. It is made from May to August on the summer pastures, from raw whole milk of Tushetian sheep, Georgian mountain cattle or a 50/50 blend, with up to 10 percent goat's milk allowed. The pressed curd goes into a guda, a sheep, goat or calf skin with the hair inside, with salt between the cheeses, and ripens there at least 60 days. The Sakpatenti specification describes a rindless cheese of 5 to 10 kg, cylindrical when it ripens in the middle of the sack and hemispheric at either end, its surface marked by the skin. Slow Food lists it in its Ark of Taste.
Made in: Tusheti, in Akhmeta municipality, Kakheti, for milking, cheese-making and the start of ripening; ripening may be finished in Pshaveli, Kvemo Alvani, Zemo Alvani and Laliskhuri
Uniform, dense and slightly elastic, never crumbly or soft, with holes of various shapes up to 10 mm and yellowish fat that can weep when cut. The sheep's milk cheese is intense yellow at the centre with a whitish edge; salty, piquant and umami, with an appetising piquant smell (Sakpatenti specification).
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
Tushuri Guda is dense, salty and piquant, with an umami depth. Amber Rkatsiteli from qvevri has medium to firm tannin and medium to high acidity: the grip stands up to the dense paste and the acidity freshens the salt.
Tushuri Guda is salty and piquant, with an umami depth. Kindzmarauli is semi-sweet Saperavi with medium to high acidity, so the sweetness sits against the salt and the acidity keeps the pair fresh.
The grapes behind these winesRkatsiteliSaperavi
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 Tushetian Guda on 24 January 2012 under no. 14, first as a geographical indication. Its current specification makes it a protected appellation of origin, and the state registry lists it among Georgia's appellations of origin.
Yes. The specification places milking and cheese-making in historical Tusheti and says the whole area belongs to Kakheti. Slow Food gives the region as Kakheti and notes that Tushetians winter in Kakheti and return to Tusheti in summer to make the cheese.
The specification allows three versions, each with its own logo: sheep's milk from the Tushetian breed, cow's milk from Georgian mountain cattle, or a sheep and cow blend, with up to 10 percent local goat's milk.
Georgia's tourism board calls it the best accompaniment for mountain vodka and Dedas puri, the shoti bread; Slow Food says it is typically eaten with a simple hot cornmeal flatbread.
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, www.fondazioneslowfood.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
