Red grape variety
Saperavi
საფერავი
Saperavi is a red grape variety from Georgia. In the National Wine Agency's 2025 vineyard cadastre it covers 17,952 ha on 32,366 plots, 17,804 ha of them in Kakheti.
- Wines in the catalogue
- 982
- Wineries
- 328
- Vineyards, ha · cadastre 2025
- 17,952
About the variety
Saperavi is Georgia's leading red variety, native to Kakheti and first recorded in King Vakhtang VI's Dasturlamali. The name comes from the Georgian word for dyeing: both the skin and the flesh of the berry are coloured, so the wine is dark, often almost opaque. It is made dry, naturally semi-sweet, sweet and fortified, in qvevri as well as in the European way. Saperavi is the grape of the dry Mukuzani, Napareuli and Kvareli PDOs and of the naturally semi-sweet Kindzmarauli and Akhasheni.
- Berry colour
- red
- Origin
- Georgiaper VIVC passport
- Typical tannin
- High
- Where it grows — by catalogue wines
- Kakheti762 wines
- Kartli33 wines
- Racha-Lechkhumi4 wines
- Vineyards · cadastre 2025
- Kakheti17,804 ha
- Kartli136 ha
- Racha-Lechkhumi10 ha
- Imereti1.5 ha
- Adjara0.3 ha
32,366 plots · Vine age: before 1990 — 908 ha, 1990–2009 — 5,697 ha, since 2010 — 11,347 ha
Typical tannin of a dry wine from this variety; a given wine may differ.
What it looks like
Bunch, berries and leaf
Wines
Wines from Saperavi
Iberiuli Saperavi
Shumi Winery
Kakheti
Produced by Shumi Winery. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. The qvevri method, ageing in qvevri, 13% alcohol. As described by sources: on the nose, cherry, plum and violet; on the palate, long finish.
Marani Kindzmarauli
Telavi Wine Cellar
Kakheti
Saperavi from Kindzmarauli: a naturally semi-sweet red Georgian wine. Made using the European method, aged in a neutral vessel; 5 days of skin maceration. Alcohol 11.5%. Sources note blackberry, cherry and prune on the nose and long finish, silky and soft tannins on the palate. Produced by Telavi Wine Cellar.
Mukuzani
Rtvelisi
Kakheti
A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, appellation of Mukuzani. Made using the European method, aged in oak barriques; alcohol 12.5%. Sources note blackberry, cherry and plum on the nose. Produced by Rtvelisi.
Saperavi
Badagoni
Kakheti
Awarded silver at Decanter World Wine Awards 2024. Saperavi from Kakheti: a dry red Georgian wine. Made using the European method, aged in a neutral vessel; alcohol 13%. Produced by Badagoni.
Saperavi
Rtvelisi
Kakheti
Awarded silver at Decanter World Wine Awards 2026. Region of Kakheti: a dry red wine from Saperavi. Made using the European method; alcohol 13%. Produced by Rtvelisi.
Kindzmarauli
Avandi
Kakheti
Saperavi from Kindzmarauli: a naturally semi-sweet red Georgian wine. Made using the European method; alcohol 12%. Sources note floral and red berries on the nose and velvety on the palate. Made at Avandi.
Kindzmarauli
Rtvelisi
Kakheti
Produced by Rtvelisi. A naturally semi-sweet red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, appellation of Kindzmarauli. The classic method, 11.5% alcohol. As described by sources: on the nose, blackberry, dark berries and cherry.
Sparkling Rose Semi Dry Saperavi
Rtvelisi
Kakheti
A rosé sparkling Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. Made using the European method; alcohol 11%. Sources note red berries, floral and raspberry on the nose and balanced acidity and crisp on the palate. Produced by Rtvelisi.
Taurus Mukuzani
Ikalto Winery
Kakheti
Produced by Ikalto Winery. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, appellation of Mukuzani. The classic method, ageing in oak barriques, 13% alcohol. As described by sources: on the nose, spices, oak and plum; on the palate, high acidity and velvety.
Kindzmarauli
Chelti
Kakheti
Awarded bronze at Georgia International Wine Award (WinExpo Georgia) 2024. Appellation of Kindzmarauli: a naturally semi-sweet red wine from Saperavi. Made using the European method, aged in a neutral vessel; alcohol 12%. Produced by Chelti.
Kindzmarauli
Mildiani Family Winery
Kakheti
A naturally semi-sweet red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, appellation of Kindzmarauli. Made using the European method, aged in a neutral vessel. Awarded bronze at Georgia International Wine Award (WinExpo Georgia) 2026. Produced by Mildiani Family Winery.
Kindzmarauli
Shumi Winery
Kakheti
Made at Shumi Winery. Saperavi from Kindzmarauli: a naturally semi-sweet red Georgian wine. The classic method, ageing in a neutral vessel, 11.5% alcohol. As described by sources: on the palate, soft acidity.
Kindzmarauli
Teliani Valley
Kakheti
Appellation of Kindzmarauli: a naturally semi-sweet red wine from Saperavi. The classic method, ageing in a neutral vessel, 12.5% alcohol. Silver at International Wine Challenge 2016. Produced by Teliani Valley.
Kvareli
Chelti
Kakheti
Bronze at International Wine & Spirit Competition 2025. Appellation of Kvareli: a dry red wine from Saperavi. The classic method, ageing in oak barriques, 13.5% alcohol. Produced by Chelti.
Marani Mukuzani
Telavi Wine Cellar
Kakheti
Gold at International Wine Challenge 2014. Appellation of Mukuzani: a dry red wine from Saperavi. The classic method, ageing in oak barriques, 12 days on skins, 14% alcohol. The winery states: 9 months of ageing in 225-litre barrels. Produced by Telavi Wine Cellar.
Marani Reserve
Telavi Wine Cellar
Kakheti
A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. Made using the European method, aged in oak barriques; alcohol 13.5%. According to the winery: 225-litre barrels; a yield of 5 t/ha. Sources note cherry, earth and leather on the nose and high acidity, silky and velvety on the palate. Made at Telavi Wine Cellar.
Mukuzani
Schuchmann Wines
Kakheti
Bronze at International Wine Challenge 2016. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, appellation of Mukuzani. The classic method, ageing in large casks. Produced by Schuchmann Wines.
Saperavi
Chelti
Kakheti
Produced by Chelti. Saperavi from Kakheti: a dry red Georgian wine. Made using the European method; alcohol 13%. Sources note cherry, dark berries and blackberry on the nose and full-bodied and silky on the palate.
Saperavi
Schuchmann Wines
Kakheti
Awarded silver at International Wine Challenge 2015. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. Made using the European method, aged in a neutral vessel. Made at Schuchmann Wines.
Saperavi
Teliani Valley
Silver at International Wine Challenge 2018. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi. The classic method, 12.5% alcohol. Made at Teliani Valley.
Saperavi
Vardiashvili Family Wine
Kakheti
A red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. Awarded bronze at International Wine & Spirit Competition 2026. Made at Vardiashvili Family Wine.
Saperavi
Ziari
Kakheti
Saperavi from Kakheti: a dry red Georgian wine. Sources note dark berries, floral and oak on the nose and high acidity and velvety on the palate. Awarded silver at Decanter World Wine Awards 2026. Made at Ziari.
Saperavi Qvevri
Mildiani Family Winery
Kakheti
Made using the traditional qvevri method, aged in a qvevri; alcohol 13.5%. A red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. Awarded gold at International Wine & Spirit Competition 2026. Produced by Mildiani Family Winery.
Saperavi Qvevri
Rtvelisi
Kakheti
The qvevri method, ageing in qvevri, 13% alcohol. A dry red Georgian wine made from Saperavi, region of Kakheti. As described by sources: on the nose, cherry, red berries and vanilla. Produced by Rtvelisi.
Where the data comes from
Sources for this page
Description
Facts from ampelographic sources and the country's official registers, in our own words.
Photos
Openly licensed photographs and photos from winery websites; the source of each frame:
- Bunch on the vine · photo: Lebowskyclone / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bunch on the vine · photo: Chingizid75 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Berries · Photo: winery's website, chateaukhashmi.com · Chateau Khashmi
- Bunch on the vine · photo: Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof - 76833 Siebeldingen, GERMANY / VIVC, This photo can be reproduced
- Bunch on the vine · photo: Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof - 76833 Siebeldingen, GERMANY / VIVC, This photo can be reproduced
Typical tannin
For reference: set only when two independent sources name the level.
Origin
The variety's passport in the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC).
Vineyard area
Vineyard cadastre 2025, National Wine Agency: plots registered under this variety; plots without an identified variety are not counted.
Wines
Our catalogue: the grape make-up comes from the winery's site or the label.
Found a mistake, a photo of a different variety, or know a better source? Tell us — we'll check and correct it.