Okureshuli
Usakhelauri
Grape varieties and wine regions of Georgia
In recent years, the global recognition of Georgian wine has been steadily growing. Today, Georgian wines grace shelves in major wine-enthusiast nations across every continent. This rising acclaim for Georgian wines primarily from two elements: 1. The UNESCO-recognized traditional Georgian Qvevri winemaking method, and 2. The diverse range of exclusive grape varieties found in Georgia. While there's an extensive article delving into the recognition of Georgian wine available here, this piece will focus on the rich variety of grape types and wine-producing regions in Georgia.
How many grape varieties exist in Georgia?
Georgia boasts over 500 grape varieties, which is astounding given its modest size as a country. Historian Ivane Javakhishvili detailed 413 of these varieties in the second volume of "Economic History of Georgia," including on ancient Georgia territories. Since his research, many more varieties have been identified, bringing the total count beyond 500. These grape varieties are distributed across Georgia's 10 wine regions:
- Abkhazia
- Adjara
- Guria
- Imereti
- Kakheti
- Lechkhumi
- Samegrelo
- Meskheti-Javakheti
- Racha
- Kartli
Our focus is on the wines from Lechkhumi, with Ushakhelouri and Tsolikouri being particularly notable. Lechkhumi has one product destination origin status of Okureshi Usakhelouri. Historically, there were 94 wine varieties in total in Racha and Lechkhumi.
This diversity provides wine enthusiasts with a myriad of choices, underscoring the longstanding tradition of winemaking in Georgia's regions.
This diversity provides wine enthusiasts with a myriad of choices, underscoring the longstanding tradition of winemaking in Georgia's regions.
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