Archaeological evidence from sites south of Tbilisi pushes Georgian winemaking back roughly 8,000 years, making it the oldest continuously practiced wine culture on record.

The qvevri — a large clay vessel buried underground for fermentation and aging — is still used today and was recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

Wine Today

Georgia has documented more than 500 native grape varieties, though only around 45 are in meaningful commercial production today. The defining fact of Georgian winemaking is the qvevri — a large clay vessel buried underground for fermentation — which UNESCO recognized as intangible cultural heritage in 2013, and which is still used for a meaningful share of the country’s wine.

The Soviet period collapsed Georgia’s varietal diversity in favor of a handful of high-yielding grapes destined for bulk export; the recovery of the rest — Kisi, Khikhvi, Chkhaveri and dozens more — has been underway since independence and has accelerated over the last two decades.

Native grapes

Red

• Saperavi [A] — “Dye” or “paint” — one of the very few teinturier varieties in commercial use anywhere, with red flesh as well as red skin. Grown throughout Georgia and dominant in Kakheti. Opaque, high in both acid and tannin, with black plum, blackberry, liquorice and a savoury iron note. Ages well over decades. Made dry, semi-sweet (the traditional Kindzmarauli and Akhasheni styles), and in qvevri. Also planted in Ukraine, Moldova, Australia and New York’s Finger Lakes.
• Aleksandrouli [B] — Racha. Together with Mujuretuli it forms Khvanchkara, the naturally semi-sweet red that was famously Stalin’s preferred wine. Medium-bodied, red-fruited, with soft tannins. Dry versions exist but are rare.
• Mujuretuli [B] — Racha. The junior partner in Khvanchkara, contributing colour, sugar and richer dark fruit. Very rarely bottled alone.
• Usakhelouri [B] — Lechkhumi. The name means “nameless.” Plantings are measured in a handful of hectares, yields are minute, and it is the most expensive Georgian wine by some distance. Pale, perfumed, red-fruited and delicate, usually semi-sweet. Genuinely commercial, but scarce and costly.
• Ojaleshi [B] — Samegrelo, in the humid west. The name refers to training the vine up trees, which is how it was traditionally grown. Very late ripening — sometimes into December — giving a semi-sweet red with raspberry and spice. Small production.
• Otskhanuri Sapere [B] — Imereti. Deeply coloured, with unusually high tannin and acidity for a western Georgian red, and real ageing potential. A serious variety with a small following.
• Chkhaveri [B] — Guria and Adjara on the Black Sea coast. Pink-skinned and picked very late, often November or December. Produces pale, delicate, low-alcohol wines with a rosé-like colour, red apple and floral notes. Distinctive and increasingly sought after.
• Tavkveri [B] — Kartli. Pale, light-bodied, low in tannin, with bright sour cherry — often compared to a rustic Gamay, and also made as rosé. Has female-only flowers, so it needs a pollinating variety interplanted, which limits plantings.
• Shavkapito [B] — Kartli. More colour, structure and spice than Tavkveri, with violet aromatics. A small revival is under way.
• Dzelshavi [C] — Imereti. Very pale and light, low tannin, high acid; historically a blending grape to lift heavier reds. A few varietal bottlings.
• Aladasturi [C] — Imereti and Guria. Light, fresh, red-fruited. Was nearly lost; small quantities now made by natural-wine producers.
• Asuretuli Shavi [C–D] — Kartli, from the village of Asureti, associated with the German settler community there. A handful of producers; effectively a rarity.
• Danakharuli, Kachichi, Jani, Budeshuri Tsiteli, Mtevandidi [D] — Varieties preserved in the national collection and in isolated old vineyards, some now being trialled for replanting. Occasional one-off bottlings; no dependable commercial availability.

White

• Rkatsiteli [A] (also Orange) — “Red stem.” The dominant white of Kakheti and by far the most planted variety in Georgia. Vigorous, high in acidity, and remarkably adaptable. Made fresh and European-style it gives green apple and quince; made in qvevri with six months on skins it becomes amber, tannic and nutty, with dried apricot, walnut skin and tea. Also planted across the former Soviet republics and in the US.
• Mtsvane Kakhuri [A] — “Green,” from Kakheti. More aromatic and fuller-bodied than Rkatsiteli — peach, white flowers, a hint of tropical fruit — and the classic blending partner, typically at 10–15% of a Rkatsiteli blend. Increasingly bottled alone.
• Kisi [A–B] (also Orange) — A natural cross of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane Kakhuri, from eastern Kakheti. Nearly disappeared in the Soviet era and replanted since the 2000s. In qvevri it is arguably Georgia’s finest amber wine grape: honey, dried pear, black tea and firm structure. Growing availability.
• Khikhvi [B] — Kakheti, historically associated with the Kardenakhi area. Very aromatic — apricot, honeysuckle, spice. Plantings remain small after near-extinction; used dry and for traditional fortified wines.
• Tsolikouri [A–B] (also Orange) — The most planted white of western Georgia, across Imereti, Lechkhumi and Guria. Late ripening, with citrus, pear and a chalky finish. Made both in the lighter Imeretian style (shorter skin contact in churi) and in modern stainless steel.
• Tsitska [B] (also Sparkling) — Imereti. High acidity and a restrained citrus-and-herb profile, which makes it Georgia’s best sparkling base. Frequently blended with Tsolikouri and Krakhuna.
• Krakhuna [B] (also Orange) — Imereti. Fuller, richer and more honeyed than its neighbours, with ripe pear and beeswax; handles skin contact and oak well. Limited plantings.
• Chinuri [B] (also Sparkling) — Kartli, in central Georgia. High acid, subtle apple and white flower aromatics. Used for still wine, qvevri wine and the traditional Atenuri sparkling.
• Goruli Mtsvane [B] (also Sparkling) — Kartli. Aromatic and crisp, usually blended with Chinuri, including in sparkling wine. A distinct variety from Mtsvane Kakhuri despite the shared name element.
• Tsulukidzis Tetra [B] — Racha, in the mountainous northwest. The basis of Tvishi, a naturally semi-sweet wine made by arresting fermentation in the cold — a traditional Georgian style, not a modern shortcut. Small production.
• Mtsvivani Kakhuri, Kharistvala, Kumsi, Rkatsiteli Vardisperi, Shavkapito Tetri [D] — Varieties held in the national collection at Jighaura and in scattered old vineyards. Occasional experimental bottlings appear from micro-producers, but there is no reliable commercial supply.

Orange & Skin-Contact

• Rkatsiteli [A] — “Red stem.” The dominant white of Kakheti and by far the most planted variety in Georgia. Vigorous, high in acidity, and remarkably adaptable. Made fresh and European-style it gives green apple and quince; made in qvevri with six months on skins it becomes amber, tannic and nutty, with dried apricot, walnut skin and tea. Also planted across the former Soviet republics and in the US.
• Kisi [A–B] — A natural cross of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane Kakhuri, from eastern Kakheti. Nearly disappeared in the Soviet era and replanted since the 2000s. In qvevri it is arguably Georgia’s finest amber wine grape: honey, dried pear, black tea and firm structure. Growing availability.
• Tsolikouri [A–B] — The most planted white of western Georgia, across Imereti, Lechkhumi and Guria. Late ripening, with citrus, pear and a chalky finish. Made both in the lighter Imeretian style (shorter skin contact in churi) and in modern stainless steel.
• Krakhuna [B] — Imereti. Fuller, richer and more honeyed than its neighbours, with ripe pear and beeswax; handles skin contact and oak well. Limited plantings.

Sparkling

• Tsitska [B] — Imereti. High acidity and a restrained citrus-and-herb profile, which makes it Georgia’s best sparkling base. Frequently blended with Tsolikouri and Krakhuna.
• Chinuri [B] — Kartli, in central Georgia. High acid, subtle apple and white flower aromatics. Used for still wine, qvevri wine and the traditional Atenuri sparkling.
• Goruli Mtsvane [B] — Kartli. Aromatic and crisp, usually blended with Chinuri, including in sparkling wine. A distinct variety from Mtsvane Kakhuri despite the shared name element.

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