The Saperavi Grape

Saperavi is a red-wine grape originating in Georgia (the nation, not the state!). Georgia is thought to be the locale where wine-making was first practiced by humans; they have been making wine there for more than 8,000 years. Saperavi is itself an ancient wine-grape variety, and is today the most-planted red grape in Georgia, a nation that is a major producer of wines (though few reach the U.S.).

Saperavi has evolved several fairly distinct clones, but the paucity of Saperavi wines available in the U.S. renders that fact largely irrelevant.

Saperavi is a big, rich, deeply flavored wine, suggesting dark fruit; it can age quite well, and is really one of the better red wines of the world when well made. It is invariably a deep, inky color (indeed, its name comes from the native word for “dye”. There is now also some work being done with the grape in Australia, and in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

Like may wines of Georgia, Saperavi is often vinified using the ancient method of the qvevry. Qvevri (also spelled “Kvevri”) are, to quote Wikipedia, “large earthenware vessels used for the fermentation, storage and ageing of traditional Georgian wine. Resembling large, egg-shaped amphorae without handles, they are either buried below ground or set into the floors of large wine cellars. Kvevris vary in size: volumes range from 20 litres to around 10,000; 800 is typical.” The procedure is itself ancient; again quoting Wikipedia: “the process of making wine in Kvevri involves pressing the grapes and then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks, and pips into the Kvevri, which is then sealed. The juice is then left to ferment into wine for at least five to six months before being decanted and bottled.” The qvevri is buried in the earth, often completely so (after being initially sealed). (It may be noted that both red and white wines are often vinified in that way.) The burial of the qvevri keeps the large vessels from cracking or shattering under the weight and pressure of the huge amounts of wine in each, plus the surrounding earth acts as something of a “refrigerator”, keeping the temperature of the wine to a steady narrow cool range.

The premium renditions of Saperavi are two: Mukuzani, a dry wine aged for 3 years, produced in the Mukuzani region, sourced from the best of the local vintages; and Napareuli, a dry wine, also aged for 3 years, produced in the Telavi region, and also sourced from the best of the local vintages.

Factoid: The native Georgian way of spelling Qvevri is Kvevri; the spelling with a Q arose because when Georgian is typed on a standard keyboard, the key assigned to that K is actually the Q key. So it comes about that Georgians spelling the name in English render it with the qvevri spelling.

Some Descriptions of Saperavi Wines

Wikipedia
“ It is an extractive wine with a characteristic bouquet, a harmonious taste, and pleasant astringency. Its alcoholic strength ranges from 10.5-12.5% and titrated acidity 5-7%…Saperavi grapes produce very deep red wines that are suitable for extended aging. It has the potential to produce high alcohol levels, and is often blended with lighter varieties.”
Wine Searcher
“Capable of bringing intense color and marked acidity to wines, Saperavi is an ideal ingredient for cheaper blended wines. In recent decades, it has also proved itself capable of producing ageworthy (often barrel matured) varietal wines of high quality. In Georgia, Saperavi’s best expression comes from its premier region Kakheti, near the eastern border with Azerbaijan.”
Exotic Wine Travel
“Saperavi produces wine that’s inky, deep red to black in color, often accompanied by a full body and profound texture…Due to the grape’s sapid tannin, marked acidity, and myriad characteristics such as black fruit, licorice, chocolate, smoked meat, and savory spice, it is extremely versatile and can be made into rosé, dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and fortified wines. A well-made, dry Saperavi wine is redolent of a mix between Blaufrankisch and Syrah. A well-made Saperavi wine can also express an astonishing amount of energy in the mouth and potential for aging.”
Jancis Robinson
“Georgia’s native vine producing deep-coloured wines (thanks to the pink flesh of its grapes) with marked acidity and, usually, tannin. Wines respond well to ageing.”
Wine Paradigm
“Aromas of autumn berries, ripe dark fruits, cassis and spice, with some earthy and smoky notes, are followed by flavors of cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum, together with hints of leather, licorice, chocolate, coffee and even tobacco. If the wines are oaked, you can expect additional flavors of cedar or vanilla. Body is full, tannin is high, acidity is high; has good aging potential. The better wines will improve for 10 or 15 years, while some are reputed to last several decades.”
Vinodiversity
“The characteristic of the grapes of this exciting variety is the dark pink flesh and very dark skins, hence wines made from this variety are deeply coloured…Another notable characteristic of wines made from this variety is the high acid levels which makes it suitable for blending…There are reports of the wine having great aging potential.”
Wine Business International
“Wherever Saperavi is produced, descriptors tend to include ‘spicy’, ‘smoky’, ‘cherryish’, and ‘earthy’; ‘elegant’ and ‘fine’ are far less frequent. Tannin levels tend to be high, along with the acidity, but these can be reduced by gentle handling in the winery.”

Some Saperavis to Try

Though there are a good few Saperavis available, most are either scarce or mediocre or both. We had to press our limits a little to make the list below, but we think all worthy of a try.

For a Splurge

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This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

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