The Qvevri

The defining technology of Georgian winemaking is the qvevri (also spelled kvevri) — a large, egg-shaped clay vessel, typically holding between 200 and 4,000 liters, coated inside with beeswax and buried in the ground up to its neck. Qvevri have been used for fermentation, storage and aging of wine in Georgia for at least 8,000 years, making them the world's oldest winemaking vessel still in active use. UNESCO inscribed the qvevri winemaking tradition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

The buried earth maintains a constant cool temperature year-round, creating natural temperature control for fermentation and aging. For white wines made in qvevri, the grape juice ferments together with the grape skins, seeds and sometimes the whole cluster stems — a process of extended skin maceration lasting anywhere from two weeks to six months or more. The result is the famous amber wine (also called orange wine internationally): a white wine of deep golden to amber color, with the tannin, texture and complexity usually associated with red wine, and a mineral, oxidative character that is unlike any other white wine style in the world. After fermentation, the qvevri is sealed and left undisturbed — the wine clarifies naturally as the solids settle over the winter. Georgian amber wine produced in this way is one of the most distinctive and ancient wine styles on earth.

Not all Georgian wine is made in qvevri; many producers use conventional stainless steel and oak barrel methods to produce wines in a more internationally recognizable style. Both traditions coexist in Georgia today.

Classification

Georgia's wine classification designates wines at two primary quality levels.

Appellation of Origin wines come from specific, defined geographic micro-zones — primarily in the Kakheti region — with strict rules on permitted varieties, yields and production methods.

Geographical Indication wines come from broader defined regions with more flexibility. Georgia's most important wine appellations are named after specific villages or micro-zones rather than broad regions, and each has defined style and variety requirements.

Georgia also produces several formally defined semi-sweet wines — including Kindzmarauli, Khvanchkara, Akhasheni and Tvishi — where fermentation is arrested naturally by chilling to preserve residual grape sugar; these are distinct from artificially sweetened wines and represent one of Georgia's most celebrated and historically important wine styles.

Key Grape Varieties

Rkatsiteli is the most widely planted white variety in Georgia — and was, during the Soviet era, one of the most widely planted white varieties in the world. High in natural acidity, with apple, quince and citrus character, it produces clean, structured dry whites in the European style and, in qvevri with extended skin contact, amber wines of remarkable texture and complexity. Mtsvane Kakhuri ("Green Kakhetian") is the second great Kakhetian white — aromatic and floral, often blended with Rkatsiteli or produced as a single variety of considerable distinction. Kisi and Khikhvi are further Kakhetian whites of growing reputation, particularly suited to the qvevri method.

In western Georgia, Tsolikouri is the dominant white of Imereti — aromatic, fresh and versatile. Krakhuna produces textural, mineral whites in Imereti. Tsitska, high in natural acidity, is the primary variety for Georgian sparkling wine. Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane are the key whites of the Kartli region.

Saperavi is Georgia's — and the South Caucasus's — greatest red grape. The name means "dye" or "paint" in Georgian: it is one of the rare teinturier varieties whose pulp, as well as skin, is red, producing wines of almost inky depth of color. High in both tannin and natural acidity, Saperavi produces dry reds of formidable structure and aging potential, as well as the base for Georgia's famous semi-sweet reds. Flavors of blackberry, plum, dark cherry, violet, dark chocolate and earthy spice; the finest examples age for twenty years or more. Alexandrouli and Mujuretuli are the mountain varieties of Racha used for the celebrated Khvanchkara semi-sweet wine. Shavkapito and Tavkveri are ancient Kartli red varieties currently in revival. Usakhelouri is an extremely rare variety of the Racha highlands producing a highly prized semi-sweet red in tiny quantities. Ojaleshi in Samegrelo produces light, aromatic reds of distinctive western Georgian character.

Wine Regions

Georgia's wine regions span the country from the warm, dry eastern valleys to the wetter subtropical western coast, with the Caucasus Mountains defining the northern boundary and creating the diverse microclimates within which the country's extraordinary variety of indigenous grapes has evolved.

Kakheti

Kakheti, in eastern Georgia, is the country's dominant wine region — producing approximately 70% of all Georgian wine and containing the majority of Georgia's most celebrated appellations. The region occupies the Alazani River valley, flanked by the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the north and the Tsiv-Gombori range to the south. The climate is warm continental, with hot summers moderated by mountain breezes and dry autumns ideal for ripening. Soils are alluvial clay and loam on the valley floor, with limestone and clay on the hillside sites.

Kakheti is the heartland of the qvevri tradition, and Kakhetian amber wine — made with months of skin contact in buried clay vessels — is Georgia's most internationally recognized wine style. Rkatsiteli and Saperavi are the foundation varieties of the region.

Kakheti's most important appellations include:

Tsinandali — dry white from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane Kakhuri; one of Georgia's oldest and most historic wine names; crisp, clean and fresh, with apple and citrus character; named for the historic estate established in the 1830s.

Mukuzani — dry red from 100% Saperavi, aged a minimum of three years with at least two in oak; one of Georgia's finest and most structured dry reds; deep color, firm tannins, dark berry, earthy spice and the acidity for long aging.

Kindzmarauli — semi-sweet red from Saperavi grown in the Kindzmarauli micro-zone of the Alazani Valley; fermentation arrested naturally to retain 30-50g/L residual sugar; rich, concentrated and dark-fruited, with Saperavi's natural acidity preventing the sweetness from cloying; one of Georgia's most famous wines internationally.

Akhasheni — semi-sweet red from Saperavi; from the Akhasheni micro-zone; similar in style to Kindzmarauli with slightly different terroir character.

Gurjaani — dry white from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane; the only Kakhetian appellation that encompasses both valley floor and hillside sites; fuller and more aromatic than Tsinandali.

Napareuli — dry red from Saperavi and dry white from Rkatsiteli; from the Napareuli micro-zone; medium body, elegant balance.

Kvareli — dry red from Saperavi; from the eastern Alazani Valley; rich and structured.

Tibaani — traditional qvevri-fermented white from Rkatsiteli; amber, textural and complex.

Kartli

Kartli occupies central Georgia along the Mtkvari (Kura) River valley and surrounds the capital Tbilisi. Cooler and drier than Kakheti, at higher altitude, Kartli produces lighter and more delicate wines. The primary white varieties are Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane; Shavkapito, Tavkveri and Saperavi lead the reds.

Ateni is the most celebrated Kartli appellation — dry white and rosé from Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane, produced in the dramatically beautiful Ateni Gorge; also used as the base for sparkling wine. Kartli is an increasingly important region as producers and consumers discover the appeal of lighter, more delicate Georgian wines.

Imereti

Western Georgia's Imereti region has a distinct winemaking tradition that sits between the amber wine intensity of Kakheti and the European style of the international market. Imeretian winemakers use qvevri but with significantly shorter skin contact — typically 10 to 30 days rather than the months of Kakheti — producing wines of lighter color and softer tannin than Kakhetian amber wines, but with more texture and complexity than conventional European whites.

Tsolikouri is the dominant variety — aromatic and versatile. Krakhuna produces textural, mineral whites. Tsitska, with its naturally high acidity, is the primary variety for Georgian sparkling wine production. Aladasturi and Otskhanuri Sapere produce light, fresh reds. The Imeretian style is one of the most individual in Georgia and is attracting growing international interest.

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti

The high mountain region of northwestern Georgia — steep terraces carved into dramatic Caucasian valleys — is home to some of Georgia's rarest and most prized wines, produced in tiny quantities from varieties found almost nowhere else in the world.

Khvanchkara is Georgia's most celebrated semi-sweet red wine — a blend of Alexandrouli and Mujuretuli from the micro-zone around the village of Khvanchkara in the Racha highlands. Fermentation is arrested naturally to retain 30-50g/L of residual sugar; the resulting wine is light to medium in body, with raspberry, red cherry and floral character that the mountain varieties' natural acidity keeps fresh and lively. Production is very small due to the challenging terrain.

Tvishi is a semi-sweet white from Tsolikouri grown in the Lechkhumi zone — aromatic, honeyed and delicate. Usakhelouri, from the extremely rare grape of the same name, produces one of Georgia's most sought-after and expensive semi-sweet reds in genuinely tiny quantities.

Samegrelo

In western Georgia near the Black Sea coast, Samegrelo is home to the Ojaleshi grape — an indigenous red variety producing light, aromatic wines with red berry and floral character. Semi-sweet Ojaleshi is the region's signature style, produced in modest quantities for primarily local and domestic consumption.

Adjara

The southwestern coastal region on the Black Sea and the Turkish border has a subtropical climate and produces wine primarily for local consumption. The warm, humid conditions and varied indigenous varieties give Adjaran wine a distinct character, though production remains small in the context of Georgian wine overall.