Mtsvane

Mtsvane usually points a wine drinker towards Kakhuri Mtsvane, a white grape of Kakheti in eastern Georgia. The name can be confusing because Goruli Mtsvane is a different grape. Check the complete name where possible, especially when comparing bottles from different Georgian regions: a shared word does not make their identities or wines identical.

Winemaking makes a second large difference. A pale wine pressed away from its skins can show the variety through fresh fruit and fragrance, while prolonged skin contact in a qvevri produces an amber wine with a different texture and tannic grip. These are alternative expressions of the same fruit, not a difference between white and red grapes.

For a first bottle, decide whether you want a familiar white-wine texture or the structure of an amber wine. The former suits fish and light dishes; the latter can handle poultry, walnuts and more substantial food. Do not serve a tannic amber version as cold as a simple aperitif white, or its texture may seem harder than intended.