Georgian Grape Varieties
Georgian wine does not rest on only one or two grapes, but in practice a few names provide the strongest way in.
According to OIV, Georgia has 525 native grape varieties under cultivation. That number matters because it shows that Georgian wine is not built on a narrow genetic base but on extraordinary local diversity.
Even with that diversity, the most practical starting names are still a short list: Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, Kisi, Khikhvi, and other native grapes that create very different wines depending on region and style.
In natural wine contexts, native grapes matter even more because terroir, qvevri, and lower intervention often make varietal character easier to read.
The simplest way to enter this larger picture is not to study every grape at once, but to begin with the strongest gateways: Saperavi as the leading red, Rkatsiteli as the leading white, and amber wine as one of the clearest expressions of Georgian identity.