Sapervai Budeshuri, Shavi K'ravi Akhmeta - 2021

Like the rest of the world during the pandemic, tourism was nearly nonexistent within Georgia. Left with an extra supply of wine during these difficult times, a local producer agreed to bottle this wine for export. This was a first, as this wine had always been made to supply local restaurants. And what a bottling this is! A cousin of the typical Saperavi, this is Saperavi Budeshuri, a juicier relative with oblong berries that enjoy cooler climates. In the village of Akhmeta, where the Alazani River flows down from the Caucasus Mountains, it thrives. There is a distinctive Pu-Erh tea note here with juicy boysenberry and autumn leaves in abundance! Lighter bodied than most Saperavi (while still being aged in qvevri), this is a fascinating deviation from the more common Saperavi of Georgia. What a treat!