The bottles that define Kakheti: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
The iconic bottles that define Kakheti: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
Rkatsiteli taken through qvevri with the ripest stems and no oak at any stage. The Sighnaghi bottle to open first if you want to learn what skin contact does to a Georgian white.
Tasting notes: Golden amber in the glass with a nose of honey, but dry and unexpectedly full-bodied in the mouth, with notes of walnut and apricot.
Saperavi fermented and aged in qvevri with the stems and no oak, so the grip comes from skins, seeds and clay rather than from a barrel. Worth the drive up to Sighnaghi.
Tasting notes: The estate Saperavi: bold, earthy and dry, with black currant and toasted almond over an elegant, natural tannin structure built entirely in clay.
Rkatsiteli from the vineyards that surround Alaverdi Monastery, vinified in qvevri in the monastery's eleventh century cellar by the monks who farm them.
Tasting notes: Intense golden amber from Rkatsiteli grown around Alaverdi Monastery and vinified in the eleventh century cellar. Vibrant fruit and peach with balanced acidity and a long close.
Kondoli-grown Rkatsiteli fermented in qvevri and then aged in oak, about 6,100 bottles a year. Amber wine given a barrel, which is not how most of Kakheti does it.
Tasting notes: Marani's flagship amber: Kondoli-grown Rkatsiteli fermented in qvevri and then given oak. Amber in colour, dry, full-bodied, and served warm for a white at 12 to 15 degrees.
Kondoli Saperavi fermented in qvevri and then aged in oak, around 68,000 bottles. Tasted beside the Satrapezo amber it shows what one estate's fruit does in red and in white.
Tasting notes: The red anchor of the Satrapezo range: Kondoli Saperavi taken through qvevri and then oak, dry and full at 14 percent, poured at 18 to 20 degrees.
Six months on the skins in qvevri and no oak, from the Tsinandali zone at Kisiskhevi. Tannic enough to explain why Kakhetian whites get poured alongside meat.
Tasting notes: A complex bouquet of dried apricot and almond over wild flowers and honey, lifted by mineral notes. Full-bodied with pronounced tannin, balanced acidity and a velvety texture.
Nine months on the skins in qvevri instead of the usual three to four weeks. The Kakhetian red method taken to its far end, and the reason to book the Orgo cellar.
Tasting notes: The reserve bottling takes nine months on the skins rather than the standard three to four weeks: raisined dark fruit and spice over a forest-floor base, full-bodied with refined round tannin and a long finish.
Kisi made by the Georgian traditional method, with the skin contact that gives the amber colour. The grape to taste directly against Rkatsiteli on the same table.
Tasting notes: Teliani's Glekhuri qvevri Kisi: skin contact gives the amber colour and a pronounced flavour of apricot, dried yellow fruits, spice and honey. Served at 13 to 15 degrees.
Saperavi from Mukuzani, the appellation of origin the National Wine Agency registers for dry red. Small clusters, deep colour, and the firm tannin a plate of mtsvadi needs.
Tasting notes: Saperavi from the Mukuzani PDO, where small concentrated clusters give deeply pigmented, bold wine rich in body and tannin. Dark ruby with sharply expressed cherry balanced by an elegant palate.
The European-method half of Kakheti: Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane pressed off the skins under the Tsinandali appellation, minutes from Teliani Valley's Telavi cellar.
Tasting notes: The Tsinandali PDO blend of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane, light straw in colour, with tropical fruit, green apple and meadow flowers over a pleasant acidity.
Kisi fermented and aged on skins and lees in buried qvevri, then bottled unfiltered, under the Vazisubani appellation of origin at Gurjaani.
Tasting notes: Deep tawny with a golden tinge, carrying top notes of tropical and dried fruit and honey over a full, harmonious, soft body that is rich in tannin. Served at 8 to 10 degrees.
Khikhvi given wild fermentation and long skin contact in qvevri, bottled unfiltered. The fourth Kakhetian amber grape, next to Rkatsiteli, Kisi and Mtsvane Kakhuri.
Tasting notes: Deep amber and aromatically layered: citrus and tropical fruit nuances intertwined with quince, beeswax and subtle herbal tones from prolonged maceration on the skins. Pure and balanced, with gentle tannin and a long finish.
Mtsvane Kakhuri fermented in buried qvevri on skins, seeds and stems for five to six months, then held a year in bottle before release. No oak at any point.
Tasting notes: Floral and delicate on the nose, faintly nutty, with dried fruit, coriander and white pepper; the palate runs to lemon tea and spice with a slight tannic grip from the skins.
Kakheti's semi-sweet Saperavi tradition in a bottle, under the Kindzmarauli appellation. The sweetness is held in check by the grape's acidity, not by fortification.
Tasting notes: The estate's semi-sweet red in the Kindzmarauli appellation style: Saperavi's dark fruit carried on residual sugar, with enough acidity to keep the sweetness from sitting still.
Firuzi is Twins' organic label: Saperavi from the Napareuli appellation given three months on the skins in buried qvevri, made to European organic standards.
Tasting notes: Organic Saperavi from Napareuli with profound texture and a full body, carrying blackberry against earthy, smoky notes from three months in clay.
Khareba's qvevri Rkatsiteli, poured inside the Kvareli wine cave cut into the Caucasus foothills where the winery keeps and serves it.
Tasting notes: Deep straw yellow, with a delicate bouquet of apple and citrus carrying perfumed notes of peach and ripe pear. Best enjoyed at 10 to 12 degrees.
Peak wine-travel season in Kakheti is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open Pheasant's Tears Rkatsiteli by Pheasant's Tears. It is the wine most associated with Kakheti.