Elon Musk of the wine bar world Coming to Georgia: Meet Sunny Hodge

The International Wines and Spirits Competition (IWSC) returns to Georgia for its third consecutive year, hosting an exciting week of wine judging from November 27 to December 1, 2024. This prestigious event, set in Tbilisi, is organized in collaboration with the Gurjaani Wine Festival and the National Wine Agency of Georgia.

This year’s competition boasts an extraordinary international jury, including Sunny Hodge, a renowned wine expert and consultant based in the UK. Sunny is the owner of two acclaimed London wine bars, Diogenes The Dog and Aspen & Meursault, and is celebrated for his innovative approach to the wine industry.

Known for breaking traditional norms, Hodge is reshaping how wine is discussed and experienced. As noted by British wine publication Club Oenologique, Hodge aims to make wine conversations more approachable and relatable. He advocates for a more emotional and free-flowing dialogue about wine while encouraging industry professionals to adopt simpler, less technical language.

With just a month to go before the competition, we connected with Sunny in London to discuss his expectations, plans, and insights for the upcoming event in Georgia.

What are your expectations for the wines of the Caucasus region, and how do you envision the impact of the IWSC on the Georgian wine industry?

I think with the Caucasus being the birthplace of wine, I'm expecting a lot of old-school winemaking techniques. We’re talking about indigenous yeast, the use of basket presses, and qvevri—old-school processes that can be quite challenging to master. So, that’s really my expectation for the wines. I think it would be cool for the IWC to shine a light on what’s happening now and present that to the wider world because we all have our preconceptions of what those styles of wine should look like. However, not many of us know what’s happening in this snapshot of time, so I think that will be a game changer.

Nice, thank you. Given Georgia's extensive 8,000-year history of winemaking, what elemental characteristics of Georgian wines are you most eager to explore?

Personally, I’m interested in the intersection of traditional winemaking and the future of wine, particularly the natural wine movement. I want to see where those two worlds intersect because there’s a lot of crossover in how very little is done in the natural wine scene, which often takes a hands-off approach. I think that intersection will really capture my attention.

With your extensive experience in both wine education and hospitality, how will your background influence your approach to judging wines in this competition?

I feel that I can be overly analytical at times. I don’t have much of the romantic notion—like, “this is what I hope it will be because I remember this.” Instead, I taste and analyze everything in front of me, perhaps too much. I guess I’m commercially savvy because I’m hands-on with what I do for my work. I speak directly with guests daily, so when I taste, I think about whether it would sell in a wine shop or wine bar. How would an unusual wine from a region that someone hasn’t tasted stand against its more common counterpart? What would a person taking that wine to a party say about it? What’s the story behind it? I think all of that factors into my judging.

Yes, perfect. Recently, you were shortlisted for the London Wine Fair's Wine Buyers Awards. Congrats! How has that recognition influenced your approach to wine evaluation and your role in the industry?

Being shortlisted was a massive honour, which was really cool. As an independent operator, I don’t have any directors, but I have a strong team behind me. Because of the singularity of my direction, it’s easy to go the completely wrong way without guidance. So, I think things like the Wine Buyers Award serve as a nod to say, “OK, whatever you’re doing, you’re heading in the right direction.” Sometimes you don’t know until it’s too late. So, it’s an honour to receive that recognition.

With your considerable expertise in the wine industry, what distinctive qualities do you believe Georgian wines possess that set them apart from other wines you have encountered?

I think what’s really unique about Georgian wines is their backbone, which consists of these traditional winemaking techniques. They offer many different styles of wine for various markets. For example, there are wines made with indigenous yeasts and low sulphites, which cater to Eastern European and Russian markets, while others are crisp, clean wines aimed at the wider Western market. Additionally, there are funkier, natural-style wines appealing to a more niche audience. All three of these different styles are produced using the same structural backbone of traditional winemaking techniques, which is pretty unique. There aren’t many regions that do that to this extent.

Yeah, of course. Lastly, as an expert blending science and hospitality, how do you envision technology playing a role in preserving and promoting Georgia's traditional winemaking techniques?

I see it happening now. Many of the old traditional winemaking techniques in Georgia are quite challenging and time-consuming. They require meticulous cleaning and attention to detail, which can be costly. This means you might face variations in time, leading to a lack of consistency that the global market expects. I feel that technology will play a big role in helping. For instance, using non-indigenous yeasts—not commercial yeasts—could provide a more consistent and predictable outcome.

Also, the use of stainless steel, concrete, and concrete eggs are steps toward producing cleaner, more concise styles of wine. Producers like Papari Valley are incorporating a lot of science and technology into their wines by utilizing gravity; they have three terraces where grapes are allowed to drain naturally from one cave to another. This makes blending easier and also simplifies cleaning.

I believe that as new wineries emerge in Georgia, they can easily incorporate these technologies to create wines that are more consistent for a global market.