Amber wine explained in one glass

By Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD · 15/09/2026

Updated 17 October 2026

Somewhere in the first hour of a Kakheti wine tour, a glass arrives that does not look like white wine. It is deep gold, or copper, or the colour of strong tea, and it smells of walnut skins, apricot, honey and something like a cellar. Most visitors pause. This is amber wine — karvisperi — and it is the reason wine people from Paris to Tokyo now fly to Kakheti.

What makes it amber

Every white grape has colour in its skin; the winemaker usually removes the skins before fermentation to keep the juice pale. In the qvevri tradition the skins stay in — for the whole fermentation and often for months afterwards, buried in clay underground. The wine takes colour and tannin from the skins the way a red does. It is, in effect, a white grape made like a red wine. The result is dry, structured, slightly grippy in the mouth, and unlike anything from a stainless-steel tank.

The grapes

Rkatsiteli is the backbone — Kakheti’s everyday white, planted everywhere, nutty and firm in the qvevri. Kisi is rarer and more aromatic, with dried apricot and a floral edge. Mtsvane is greener and fresher. Khikhvi is the one the winemaker keeps for guests he likes. Many family wines are field blends of two or three of these, picked and pressed together, which is how it was done before anyone labelled anything.

How to taste it

Forget the rules for white wine. Serve it cool, not cold — 12 to 14 degrees; ice kills it. Use a normal glass, not a narrow one; it needs air. Expect tannin: the slight dryness on the gums is meant to be there. And eat with it — amber wine was designed for the Georgian table, and it comes alive beside walnut sauces, roast chicken, cheese, aubergine, and the fatty lamb of a supra. On its own it can seem austere; with food it is one of the most versatile wines in the world.

A good winemaker will pour you the same grape from two qvevri or two years, and the difference — one softer, one sharper, one with more skin time — is the whole lesson in a minute.

Where it went

Amber wine nearly vanished in the Soviet era, when the state wanted volume and steel. Families kept it alive in their own cellars. Since about 2005 a generation of small Kakhetian producers has taken it back to the world; Georgian amber wines are now on the lists of serious restaurants in London, New York and Copenhagen, and “orange wine” everywhere else is a distant cousin of what is made here.

See it with GTour

The Kakheti wine country day includes tastings at two very different cellars; the Telavi & Kakheti day adds the Tsinandali estate; and the three-day Grand Wine tour is five wineries and two nights among the vines.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

What is amber wine (karvisperi)? Amber wine is a white grape wine made like a red, where the grape skins stay in contact with the juice during fermentation instead of being removed. This gives it a deep gold, copper, or tea-like color along with tannin and structure unusual for white wine. It is also known elsewhere in the world as orange wine, though Georgian amber wine is the original tradition behind that style.

How is amber wine actually made? In the qvevri tradition, white grape skins are left in the clay vessel with the juice for the entire fermentation and often for months afterward while the qvevri is buried underground. The skins give the wine its color and tannin, similar to how red wine gets its character. This is different from standard white winemaking, where skins are removed before fermentation to keep the juice pale.

Which grapes are used to make amber wine? Rkatsiteli is the main grape, a common and firm Kakhetian white that becomes nutty in the qvevri. Kisi is rarer and more aromatic with dried apricot notes, Mtsvane is greener and fresher, and Khikhvi is often reserved as a special wine for guests. Many traditional family wines are field blends of two or three of these grapes pressed together.

How should amber wine be served and tasted? It should be served cool rather than cold, around 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, since ice dulls its flavors. A normal wide glass is better than a narrow one because the wine needs air, and tasters should expect a slight tannic dryness on the gums as part of its character. It is best enjoyed with food, such as walnut sauces, roast chicken, cheese, aubergine, or fatty lamb from a Georgian supra feast.

What happened to amber wine during the Soviet era? Amber wine nearly disappeared during Soviet times because the state prioritized high-volume production using steel tanks rather than traditional qvevri methods. Individual families kept the tradition alive by continuing to make it in their own home cellars. Since around 2005, a new generation of small Kakhetian producers has revived it and brought it back to international attention.

Where is Georgian amber wine available today? Georgian amber wines are now featured on the wine lists of serious restaurants in cities such as London, New York, and Copenhagen. The style has also inspired what is commonly called orange wine elsewhere in the world, though the article describes those as a distant cousin of the original Georgian product.

How can visitors experience amber wine in Kakheti through GTour? GTour offers a Kakheti wine country day that includes tastings at two different cellars, as well as a Telavi and Kakheti day that adds a visit to the Tsinandali estate. For a deeper experience, the three-day Grand Wine tour covers five wineries and two nights among the vineyards.