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Traditional
Georgian grape varieties are little known in the West. Now that the
wines of Eastern and Central Europe are coming to international awareness,
grapes from this region are becoming better known.
The
two most important grapes used in Georgian wines, Rkatsiteli and
Saperavi, have the potential to produce excellent, if not great
wines. Rkatsiteli is a white variety that is so widely grown in
Eastern and Central Europe that it ranks third in the world in hectares
grown. Rkatsiteli is high in acidity and is capable of producing
wines with fine character. Jancis Robinson, author of the The Oxford
Companion to Wine, calls Rkatsiteli "very important and high quality"
in her review of world grape varieties.
Saperavi produces substantial deep red wines that are suitable for
extended aging, perhaps up to fifty years. Saperavi has the potential
to produce high alcohol levels and is used extensively for blending
with other lesser varieties. A third variety, the white grape Mtsvane,
is also important in Georgian wines, and is often blended with Rkatsiteli
to which it adds a fruity, aromatic balance.
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