While most of the white wines in Europe and in the US are actually white, in Georgia there is a broad variety of white wine colors. That’s why some of them are called amber respectively orange wines.
ORANGE WINES FROM GEORGIA
Buy Georgian orange wines
How is orange wine made?
The most interesting part of a grape is its skin. It consists of different layers of cells and contains many different substances such as tannins, minerals, and pigments – the latter primarly for the wine’s color.
Different from Europe, where as for white wines only the juice is fermented, winemakers in Georgia often use the skins, seeds, and sometimes the stems of the grapes, too. Depending on the grape variety and the amount of skins used, the wine can have a broad variety of amber and orange colors.
About our Georgian orange wines
In our vineyard, we cultivate three white wine varieties that we also use for the production of our orange wines: Kisi, Rkatsiteli and Khikhvi, all three typical Kakhetian grape species. In a different vineyard created in 2023, we planted the additional species Kakhuri Mtsvane, Mirzaanuli and Bodbis Chitistvala, which will give us a small amount of wine from 2026.
Kisi
The Kisi variety is used for white, amber and orange wines. It is domestic to the region of Kakheti. After being nearly extinct 25 years ago, it has been experiencing a revival recently.
Rkatsiteli
Rkatsiteli, which means red horn, is the most widespread white wine variety in Georgia, where it is predominantly grown in Kakheti. It is used for both Qvevri and European style wine.
Khikhvi
At the beginning of the 2000s Khikhvi was almost extinct, but now again enjoys great popularity. We produce dry wine, but Khikhvi is also suitable for semi-sweet and even dessert wines.
Our philosophy
We understand wine as a gift from nature, influenced among others by soil, vegetation, sun, precipitation, and wind. These factors interact and create new conditions every year, which are reflected in our wines, as we let nature run its course and intervene only when necessary.
Organic vineyard
Our vineyard containing the species Kisi, Rkatsiteli and Khikhvi has been fully organic from the very beginning, when we planted it in 2020. As there was a forest for centuries, the soil is outstandingly fertile and full of minerals.
Wild yeasts
Nature creates new conditions every year. This also applies to the wild yeast cultures in the vineyard, which can differ from year to year. We do not use pure culture yeasts, but rely on the wild yeast cultures that give our wines new notes every year.
Careful harvest
It is not only important to choose the right moment in terms of sugar level and weather, but the grapes must also be processed immediately after harvest. We transport them in small wooden boxes to avoid damaging the berries.
No additives
In our cellar, we don’t add anything to our orange wines, not even sulfites. We use natural filtration by letting the sediments sink down. We don’t consider clearing and fining to be necessary. Our wines are not only natural but also vegan.
QUESTIONS ABOUT GEORGIAN ORANGE WINE
DOES THE ORANGE COLOR COME FROM THE QVEVRI?
No, the underground clay amphorae called Qvevris do not affect the color of the wine. It’s the pigments located in the grape skins that are extracted during fermentation give the wines its unique color.
DOES ORANGE WINE HAVE MORE ALCOHOL?
Not necessarily. The alcohol level of a wine is determined by the sugar level of the processed grapes. Basically, the higher the sugar level is, the higher the alcohol level will be.