Appellation

Akhmeta

Kakheti

Akhmeta is a protected designation of origin (PDO) in Kakheti, Georgia, registered on May 11, 2020.

On the label

What the label should show

  • The name Akhmeta as a protected designation of origin (PDO).

These are requirements of the specification. A label that meets them complies with the specification; it does not prove that the bottle is genuine.

The zone

What its specification sets.

Kakheti, Akhmeta district: the Caucasus foothills above the Alazani valley, with vineyards at 400–800 m. The zone covers Matani, Kistauri, Sakobiano and neighbouring villages. The white is made from Mtsvane Kakhuri, the amber from the same grape with up to 15 per cent of Kisi and Khikhvi added. The yield is capped at eight tonnes per hectare, twice as strict as in the lowland zones.

In the zone's specification

Grapes

White: Mtsvane Kakhuri

Amber: Mtsvane Kakhuri, Kisi (blending grape, no more than 15%), Khikhvi (blending grape, no more than 15%)

Vineyard altitude: 400–800 m above sea level

Yield: no more than 8 t per hectare

Alcohol: no less than 11%

Bottling: outside the zone, but within Georgia

Villages of the zone · 26

Sakobiano, Matani, Kistauri, Arashenda, Akhshani, Akhshnisvelebi, Ingeti, Kogori, Osiauri, Sachale, Ozhio, Alaverdi, Koghoti, Chabinaani, Khorkheli, Zemo Khodasheni, Atskuri, Akhaldaba, Charekauli, Zemo Alvani, Khorbalo, Kvemo Alvani, Babaneuli, Maghraani, Pichkhovani, Argokhi

Source: the appellation specification, register no. 979 — National Wine Agency

Authenticity risk: no flag

We hold no evidence of elevated risk. Not a guarantee of authenticity.

Akhmeta is a white and amber PDO from the Akhmeta municipality at the top of the Alazani valley in Kakheti, made mainly from Mtsvane, Kisi and Khikhvi, often in the traditional qvevri (skin-contact) style. It is a comparatively young, small-to-moderate appellation with no notable authenticity concern; the wine should come from the registered Akhmeta zone.

How we weigh authenticity risk

On the map

  • Kakheti — the region
  • Akhmeta — the PDO zone
  • Other regions

Wines of Akhmeta

What the catalogue holds.

The catalogue holds no wine from Akhmeta yet.