525 Grapes:
A Field Guide to Georgia’s Indigenous Varieties
Eastbound Advisory · 8 min read
Written by Nick Russell
Most American wine professionals can name five or six French grape varieties without thinking. Georgia has more than 525 indigenous varieties, most of which have never been planted, bottled, or tasted outside the country. Here is a working map of the ones worth knowing, organized by region.
Kakheti (eastern Georgia)
Rkatsiteli — the most widely planted white in the country, made both fresh and as amber wine.
Saperavi — the great red, a teinturier grape with red flesh, not just red skin.
Mtsvane — aromatic white, often blended with Rkatsiteli.
Kisi — rare sub-regional white from Manavi, prized in amber form.
Khikhvi — aromatic, peach and acacia notes, made dry or off-dry.
Imereti (western Georgia)
Tsolikouri — the region's principal white, high acid and citrus-driven.
Tsitska — often blended with Tsolikouri, delicate and floral.
Krakhuna — less common, full-bodied white with good aging potential.
Otskhanuri Sapere — a deeply colored, high-acid red, still rarely seen outside Imereti.
Racha-Lechkhumi (mountainous northwest)
Aleksandrouli & Mujuretuli — the pairing behind Khvanchkara, Georgia's most famous semi-sweet red.
Usakhelauri — planted so sparingly that most bottles never leave the country.
Kartli (central Georgia)
Chinuri — high-acid white with sparkling wine potential.
Goruli Mtsvane — a Kartli-specific relative of Mtsvane, used in both still and amber styles.
Tavkveri — light-bodied red, often compared to Pinot Noir.
Shavkapito — structured, tannic red with a peppery edge.
Adjara and the Black Sea coast
Chkhaveri — a light red or rosé-leaning grape from Georgia's subtropical coastal strip, made still or lightly sparkling.
"You do not need to know all 525. You need to know the dozen that make an American wine director stop scrolling."
This list is not exhaustive — it is a starting point. Every one of these grapes tells a different regional story, and matching the right grape to the right buyer is most of what this work actually is.
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