🍇 Saperavi
Georgia's main red grape, with coloured flesh: over 4 thousand ha; the basis of Mukuzani and Kindzmarauli.
Saperavi is the main red grape of Georgia. The National Wine Agency of Georgia translates its name as “the one used for dyeing”. It is a teinturier grape: not only the skin but also the flesh is coloured, so the wine comes out almost opaque, inky.
According to the agency, Saperavi covers about 10% of all the country's vineyards, more than 4 thousand ha; the 2004 census counted 3,704 ha. The variety is very old: over 150 years, ampelographers have described at least 17 of its variants and clones. The VIVC catalogue knows 25 synonyms and marks Saperavi as both a wine and a table grape.
Saperavi is made into dry, semi-sweet, sweet and fortified wines, both by the traditional Georgian method and by the European one. Napareuli and Mukuzani are dry, Kindzmarauli is semi-sweet. Akhasheni in Kakheti has many old vines. The wines have noticeable acidity and tannin, and usually 12–14% alcohol.
The grape is also grown outside Georgia. According to VIVC, in 2009 Ukraine had 1,514 ha of it and Moldova 716 ha. Saperavi is a parent of, among others, Bastardo Magarachsky and Rubinovy Magaracha.
Why it matters to you. Mukuzani or Kindzmarauli on a label are not grapes but appellations; both are made from Saperavi, but the first is dry and the second semi-sweet. The agency advises ageing serious dry wines for 10 years or longer, while semi-sweet Kindzmarauli and Akhasheni are best drunk within 1–2 years. Red wines are served at 15–18 °C.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Saperavi → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ Georgian wine
- Where it grows
- Georgia: 📍 Kakheti, 📍 Inner Kakheti, 📍 Outer Kakheti, 📍 Alazani Valley, 📜 Mukuzani, 📜 Napareuli, 📜 Kindzmarauli, 📜 Akhasheni, 📜 Kotekhi, 📜 Kvareli
Azerbaijan: 📍 Ganja-Gazakh, 📍 Shamkir, 📍 Tovuz, 📍 Ismayilli (Ivanovka), 📍 Guba-Khachmaz, 📍 Sheki-Zagatala
Ukraine: 📍 Ukrainian Bessarabia (Budjak), 📍 Bolhrad, 📍 Lake Yalpuh area, 📍 Inkerman
Moldova: 📍 Valul lui Traian, 📍 Ștefan Vodă, 📜 Purcari
Armenia: 📍 Ijevan - Main grape in
- 📜 Mukuzani, 📜 Napareuli, 📜 Kindzmarauli, 📜 Akhasheni, 📜 Tsinandali
- Related to
- 🍷 Qvevri wine, 🏷️ Georgian PDO wines
- Offspring
- 🍇 Bastardo Magarachskii, 🍇 Magarach Ruby
- Similar and different
- 🍇 Rkatsiteli
Frequently asked questions
What does the name “Saperavi” mean?
According to the National Wine Agency of Georgia, “the one used for dyeing”: even the flesh of this grape is coloured.
How much Saperavi is there in Georgia?
About 10% of all vineyards, more than 4 thousand ha; the 2004 census counted 3,704 ha.
Is it true that Kindzmarauli is a separate grape?
No. It is an appellation; the wine is made from Saperavi and is semi-sweet.
How long can Saperavi wine be kept?
Serious dry ones for 10 years or longer, while semi-sweet ones are best drunk within 1–2 years of bottling.
Where else does Saperavi grow?
According to VIVC, in Ukraine (1,514 ha in 2009), Moldova and Bulgaria.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Georgian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🍇 Rkatsiteli — Georgia's main white grape: 43% of the country's vineyards; the basis of Tsinandali, Gurjaani and Vazisubani.
- 📍 Ukrainian Bessarabia (Budjak) — The steppe south of Odesa region between the Danube and the Dniester, the country's main wine zone.
- 🍷 Qvevri wine — Georgian wine fermented and aged in large clay jars buried in the ground.
- 📜 Bolnisi — An appellation around Bolnisi for white, amber, rosé and red wines.
Similar
🍇 Rkatsiteli · 🍇 Mtsvane Kakhuri · 🍇 Kisi · 🍇 Khikhvi · 🍇 Chinuri · 🍇 Tilki Kuyrugu
Sources
- National Wine Agency of Georgia: Red Wine Grape Varieties (Saperavi)
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Saperavi, area
- National Wine Agency of Georgia: Protected Designations of Origin (PDO)
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019