Georgian Qvevri Wines: The 8,000-Year-Old Secret

Georgia, the country between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, has been making wine for approximately 8,000 years. Archaeological evidence from the village of Gadachrili Gora, south of Tbilisi, includes clay vessels with residues of cultivated grape wine dating to around 6000 BC. That makes Georgia the oldest known wine-producing region in the world, predating evidence from Iran, Egypt, and Greece by a considerable margin.

Despite that history, Georgian wine remains largely unknown in the United States. That is changing, driven partly by the natural wine movement and partly by sommeliers who have discovered that qvevri wines offer something genuinely different from anything produced in Western Europe. For anyone interested in expanding their wine knowledge beyond the familiar French and Italian categories, Georgia is one of the most rewarding places to explore.

Qvevri: The Defining Method

The qvevri is a large, egg-shaped clay vessel, lined with beeswax and buried in the ground up to its neck. Grapes are crushed and placed into the qvevri with their juice, skins, seeds, and sometimes stems. The vessel is then sealed and left to ferment underground, where the earth provides natural temperature regulation. After fermentation, the wine remains in contact with its solids for several months before being drawn off.

This method was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013. It produces wines with a texture, colour, and flavour profile that conventional stainless steel or oak barrel fermentation cannot replicate. White wines made this way develop a deep amber or golden colour from extended skin contact, which is why they are often called amber wines or, less precisely, orange wines.

Kakheti: Where Most Georgian Wine is Made

The Kakheti region in eastern Georgia produces roughly 70 percent of the country's wine. It is sheltered by the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the north, with a continental climate moderated by warm air from the Alazani Valley. The combination of altitude, clay and limestone soils, and long, warm autumns creates conditions well suited to full ripening while retaining acidity.

Within Kakheti, the micro-regions of Tsinandali, Mukuzani, and Kindzmarauli each have their own character. Mukuzani, for example, is known for structured, age-worthy Saperavi reds with firm tannins and dark fruit. Wine-Searcher's Kakheti page provides a useful overview of the sub-regions and their styles.

The Grapes

Georgia is home to more than 500 indigenous grape varieties. Two dominate production and are the most likely to appear on shelves in the US.

Saperavi is Georgia's flagship red grape and one of a small number of teinturier varieties, meaning the flesh itself is red, not just the skin. The wines are deep in colour, almost opaque, with dark fruit, earth, and spice. Young Saperavi can be tannic and muscular; with five to ten years of age, the best examples develop a savoury complexity that invites comparison with Barolo or Hermitage. A good Saperavi from a reliable producer costs $15 to $30.

Rkatsiteli is the most widely planted white grape and one of the oldest cultivated varieties in the world. Made in the qvevri method with extended skin contact, it produces the amber wines for which Georgia is increasingly known: golden to deep copper in colour, with flavours of dried apricot, walnut, honey, and dried herbs, finishing with a long, tannic, almost tea-like character. Made conventionally in stainless steel, Rkatsiteli is lighter and crisper, closer to a Pinot Grigio in weight. Both styles are worth trying.

Other varieties to look for include Mtsvane (a fragrant white often blended with Rkatsiteli), Kisi (producing elegant amber wines with floral aromatics), and Tavkveri (a light red suited to chilling).

Producers to Look For

Pheasant's Tears, based in Sighnaghi, is often credited with introducing qvevri wines to the Western market. Their Rkatsiteli amber wine is a good starting point for anyone new to the style: textured and aromatic, with enough familiarity in the fruit profile to serve as a bridge from conventional white wine. Typically $20 to $30.

Lagvinari produces some of the most refined amber wines in Georgia, with single-variety expressions of Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, and Kisi that show precision alongside the characteristic qvevri texture. $25 to $40.

Alaverdi Monastery has been making wine in qvevri continuously for over a thousand years. The wines are rustic and powerful, and they carry a sense of history that is hard to describe on paper. $15 to $25. Orgo makes clean, precise amber wines that work well as an introduction to the category, typically $18 to $30.

Food Pairing

Georgian cuisine and Georgian wine evolved together over millennia, and the pairing logic is intuitive. Saperavi works with grilled lamb, beef stews, and walnut-based sauces. Amber wines, with their tannic structure and savoury character, pair well with roast chicken, hard cheeses, and dishes with warm spices like coriander, fenugreek, and cinnamon. The tannin in amber wine also makes it an unusually good match for fried food, where it cuts through richness the way a red wine would.

Georgian wines are available through specialist importers in the US, and we carry a selection at arrowsmithwine.com. If you have not tried qvevri wine before, start with an amber Rkatsiteli from one of the producers above. It is unlike anything else in the wine world, and that is precisely the point.

Frequently Asked Questions