A native varietal to the country of Georgia. It is made in both modern styles and as an amber wine, often fermented in the typical terracotta amphorae called Qvervi. The varietal is native to the Kakheti wine region and seems to be related to other native grapes in the region. It was nearly extinct in the year 2000 with plantings down to a handful of acres. It produces extremely low yields, around 25-30% of Rkatsiteli.
On rich and fertile land, the region of Kakheti is Georgia's agricultural powerhouse producing 70% of the countries grapes. Broken down into three main regions, it is then split further in to over 25 established terroirs such as Tsinandali, Teliani, Napereuli and Mukuzani. The region's main varieties for reds are Saperavi and Cabernet Sauvignon, and for whites, Kakhuri and Rkatsiteli Mtsvane. The country's traditional methods are once again being employed with re-emergence of Kakehtian wines, which are aged in earthenware jars after an extended three or four month maceration.
White wine is a wine whose color can be pale-yellow, yellow-green, and yellow-gold colored. The wine is produced from a variety of grape varieties. The flavor and color comes from the juice of the grape and sometimes the skin of the grape as well. Interestingly, not all white wine comes from white grapes. Some select red grapes are used as in Champagne.
