Usakhelouri

Authenticity

High authenticity risk

Usakhelouri (registered as Okureshis Usakhelouri) is a naturally semi-sweet red PDO from the rare Usakhelouri grape, grown on a few hectares across five villages of the Lechkhumi district, western Georgia. It is one of the world's rarest wines: published figures cite only about 3-5 tonnes of grapes and roughly 1,000 bottles produced nationally in a good year, with bottles fetching around EUR 100-180. Because the authentic zone output is tiny while the name is famous and premium, the volume offered under the name can exceed what the zone can produce. What to check: confirm the producer is registered in the Okureshi / Lechkhumi zone and owns or sources Usakhelouri grapes there, and treat inexpensive 'Usakhelouri' with caution.