The best wines from Kvareli in Georgia

Kvareli is a designation of origin (appellation) for dry red wine from the Saperavi grape, in north-eastern Kakheti at the foot of the Greater Caucasus. A century ago, various connoisseurs already called Kvareli's wines the best in Kakheti: soft, velvety, harmonious, beautifully coloured, fresh and aromatic. They are still among the best red wines in Georgia. The designation of origin covers around 975 hectares.

Check out our wine from Kvareli

Kvareli is both a municipality and a wine area. The wine area extends south and south-east of the village of Kvareli, with the Bursa river as its western boundary. The appellation can be divided into three zones by altitude. The best vineyards are in the highest zone, on the foothills above the road from Kvareli to Akhalsopeli and Mtisdziri, on slopes facing south, south-east and south-west.

Lower down, where the land flattens out towards the Alazani river, lie the villages of Sanavardo and Kuchatani. Sanavardo in particular was praised for its Saperavi in the early twentieth century. The third zone, around Gavazi and closer to the river, lies at about 300 metres and is completely flat. It is wetter there, and this last zone produces less good wines than the higher vineyards.

Most vineyards lie at around 450 metres but can reach up to 750 metres. The soil is mainly alluvial, brought down by the Alazani and its tributaries from the mountains. Seven different soil types have been identified. The best are calcareous, stony and loamy to sandy. Walking through the vineyards, you see plenty of black slate in many places, washed into the valley over time by rivers from the Greater Caucasus.

Saperavi is the main quality grape for the wines of Kvareli. During the twentieth century the area's reputation suffered from the planting of hybrid grapes, from poorer vineyards in the low-lying parts and from excessive irrigation, which pushed up yields at the expense of quality. Around the turn of the century this downward trend was reversed by winemakers making concentrated, energetic wines on the slopes. We currently have one wines from Kvareli in our range. You can view all our wines from Kvareli here.