Saperavi: A Noble, World-Class Grape Variety

Saperavi, one of the world’s oldest wines, is becoming one of America’s fastest growing imports following a recent feature on Georgia, the birthplace of wine, by the CBS show 60 Minutes.

Saperavi is an ancient, thoroughly Georgian grape variety. Its exact origin is lost to time (archaeologists say it is 8,000 years old), but it is believed to hail from the southwestern region of the country or the Black Sea coast. Today, its current stronghold is in far eastern Georgia, although it’s found throughout the country. It’s the most-planted black grape in Georgia and accounts for 33% of the wine produced in the country. However, in the province of Kakheti (Georgia’s equivalent of Napa Valley), whose sun and warmth is favorable to the grapes, it accounts for 40% of wine made and makes some of the most complex, and age-worthy examples of this noble variety.