What is Zegaani wine?
Red Saperavi aged in qvevri.
Short answer
Zegaani is a protected designation of origin for dry red qvevri wine made from Saperavi in the village of Zegaani on the Gombori Range. The micro-zone lies on the north-eastern slope. Registration number 982, date in the file: 30/08/2022. The specification requires at least 20 months of ageing in qvevri.
Why
- There is one variety: Saperavi from the micro-zone, and other varieties are prohibited.
- The zone borders Chermiskhevi, Akhasheni and the Navistskali Gorge, with vineyards at 400–550 m.
- Under the specification, processing, winemaking and bottling all take place inside the micro-zone.
Details
The colour is dark red and the body full and velvety, with black pepper, clove, blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum in the taste. Alcohol is at least 12%, extract at least 24 g/l, sugar no more than 4 g/l. Grapes must be crushed within 3 hours of harvest. On the grape: Saperavi and its wines.
After fermentation the wine is aged in qvevri for at least 20 months and then separated from the marc (chacha). On the vessel: what is a qvevri. A neighbouring designation on the same side of the range: Akhasheni.
Tip
The name on the label must be written in Georgian, Latin (ZEGAANI) and Cyrillic script, each with the PDO designation.
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
Any qvevri wine from Saperavi can be called Zegaani.
What actually happens
No, the grapes must come from the Zegaani micro-zone and the ageing in qvevri must be at least 20 months.
People also ask
- What is Zegaani 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.