What is Akhmeta (Akhmetis Mtsvane) wine?
White and amber from Kakhuri Mtsvane, upper Alazani.
Short answer
Akhmeta (Akhmetis Mtsvane) is a protected designation of origin for white and amber wine based on Kakhuri Mtsvane from a micro-zone in the Akhmeta municipality of Kakheti. Registration number 979, date in the file: 11/05/2020. The white comes dry, naturally semi-dry or naturally semi-sweet, and the amber is dry.
Why
- White is made only from Kakhuri Mtsvane, and amber may include Kisi and/or Khikhvi, up to 15% together.
- The zone is in Middle Kakheti on the upper Alazani, with vineyards at 400–800 m.
- Amber ferments on the skins in qvevri only and stays on them at least until 1 February after the vintage.
Details
Dry white is light straw, and semi-dry and semi-sweet are light greenish-golden. Alcohol: dry white at least 11%, semi-dry and semi-sweet at least 10.5%, amber at least 12%. Sugar: dry up to 4 g/l, semi-dry 4–18 g/l, semi-sweet 18–45 g/l. Amber ranges from dark amber to tea-coloured. On the grapes: Mtsvane, Kisi and Khikhvi.
The zone includes the town of Akhmeta and about 25 villages and is bordered by the Tsiv-Gombori and Kakheti ranges, the Caucasus Mountains and Telavi municipality. Processing and winemaking take place in Kakheti, and bottling is allowed elsewhere in Georgia. On the amber style: amber wine in Georgia.
Tip
Check the type on the bottle: white or amber, and the sweetness level, because one designation covers different wines.
What may differ
The specification sets only limits: varieties, zone, minimum alcohol, maximum sugar. Wines from different producers differ within those limits, and the specification can be updated, so check the current version on wine.gov.ge.
Common misconception
Akhmeta is a grape variety.
What actually happens
No, it is the name of a place. The main variety is Kakhuri Mtsvane (hence Akhmetis Mtsvane).
People also ask
- What is Akhmetis Mtsvane wine?
Sources
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Georgian wine: Madloba articlesRelated questions
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What is amber wine in Georgia?
The Georgian Law on Vine and Wine divides wines by colour into white, amber, rosé and red.
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