The characteristic of the grapes of this exciting variety is the dark pink flesh and very dark skins, hence wines made from this variety are deeply coloured, in fact the name of the variety means 'dyer' in Russian. Another notable characteristic of wines made from this variety is the high acid levels which makes it suitable for blending.

As you might expect, the variety is also capable of surviving extremely cold winters, hence it has attracted the attention of winegrowers in high altitude locations and inland regions.

There are reports of the wine having great aging potential.

A few Australian wineries are now using the variety, and while it is still early days, some encouraging wines have been produced.

Wines made from Saperavi can be paired with a variety of foods. The strong flavour and texture suggests that it would be suitable with game dishes or hearty winter fare.

Some innovative Australian wineries using Saperavi are

• Blue Metal Vineyard Southern Highlands
• Domain Day Barossa Valley
• Gapsted Alpine Valleys
• Hawkers Gate McLaren Vale
• Hugh Hamilton McLaren Vale
• Oak Words Riverland
• Ridgemill Estate Granite Belt
• Rookery Wines Kangaroo Island
• Symphonia King Valley
• Ten Miles East Adelaide Hills

A reader has asked Which grape nursery released Australia's first Saperavi?

See my answer and discussion (you can join in if you like) here.