What is Sviri wine?
Dry white from Outer Imereti, left bank of the Kvirila.
Short answer
Sviri is a protected designation of origin for dry white wine from Tsolikouri, Tsitska and/or Krakhuna grapes grown in the Sviri micro-zone of Outer Imereti. Registration number 793, date in the file: 10/12/2007. The specification sets at least 11% alcohol and no more than 4 g/l sugar.
Why
- Three varieties are used, Tsolikouri, Tsitska and Krakhuna, all from the Sviri micro-zone.
- The micro-zone is on the left bank of the Kvirila, on the northern slopes of the southern foothills of Outer Imereti, at about 220 m.
- The wine ferments in qvevri, and 4–6% fermented chacha is added.
Details
The colour is straw to dark straw-yellow and extract is at least 19 g/l. No minimum ageing is set. The micro-zone includes Pirveli Sviri, Meore Sviri and the administrative borders of Rodinauli. More on the grapes: what are Tsolikouri and Tsitska. On the method: qvevri.
Bottling is allowed outside the zone but only in Georgia. The wine is sold only in consumer packaging.
Tip
Look for SVIRI and PDO on the label: the specification requires the Latin-script name and the protected designation mark.
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
Sviri is the name of a grape variety.
What actually happens
No, Sviri is a place (the villages Pirveli and Meore Sviri). The varieties in the specification are Tsolikouri, Tsitska and Krakhuna.
People also ask
- What is Sviri wine?
Sources
18+. This page is about alcohol and is for reference only. Drinking alcohol harms health.
Georgian wine: Madloba articlesRelated questions
-
What is amber wine in Georgia?
The Georgian Law on Vine and Wine divides wines by colour into white, amber, rosé and red.
-
What is the horn Georgians drink wine from called?
The drinking horn in Georgia is called a kantsi; it is made of animal horn, and the richer ones are decorated with gold and silver.
-
How many Georgian wines have a protected designation of origin?
On 11 November 2026 Georgia has 33 protected designations of origin (PDO) for wine.
-
What is Bolnisi wine?
Bolnisi is a protected designation of origin for dry white, amber, red and rosé wines from the Bolnisi micro-zone in the south of Kvemo Kartli.