Rkatsiteli

The story

Rkatsiteli is one of the world's oldest grape varieties—grown in Georgia for 8,000+ years. Georgia is wine's birthplace. Rkatsiteli is the living connection to that history.

Insider story

Georgia has 8,000 years of continuous winemaking—the world's oldest. Rkatsiteli is one of 500+ indigenous Georgian grapes. It's been grown since the Bronze Age.

Traditional Georgian winemaking uses qvevri—clay vessels buried underground. Grapes ferment and age in qvevri for months, creating amber, tannic wines. It's the original 'orange wine.'

Soviet-era Georgia made bulk Rkatsiteli—over-cropped, oxidized, terrible. But post-independence (1991), traditional winemaking revived. Natural wine fans discovered Georgian qvevri wines. Demand exploded.

Rkatsiteli is now trendy among sommeliers. But most consumers have never heard of it.

Technical deep dive

Rkatsiteli has high acidity (7-8 g/L), citrus and stone fruit aromatics, and a slightly tannic finish (from skin contact). Alcohol: 12-13.5% ABV.

Qvevri winemaking: grapes ferment in buried clay vessels (500-2,000 liters). Skins, seeds, and sometimes stems are included. Fermentation lasts weeks; aging lasts months. The wines are amber, tannic, complex.

Modern Rkatsiteli (stainless steel, no skin contact) is crisp, citrusy, and fresh—completely different from qvevri style.

Industry secrets

Qvevri Rkatsiteli from top producers (Pheasant's Tears, Iago's Wine, Lapati) is $20-50 and rivals $80-150 natural wines from France. But distribution is limited—you have to seek it out.

For collectors

More white grapes

• Roditis
• Romorantin
• Roter Veltliner
• Rotgipfler
• Roussanne