Grape variety

Saperavi

沙布拉维shābùlāwéi

Georgia's red-fleshed grape, making gold-medal wine in the oasis of Turpan

Type: Grape variety
Colour: red
Family: Other reds
Origin: Georgia: Kakheti
Main regions: Xinjiang
Literal meaning: A phonetic rendering of 'Saperavi'

Taste profile

Body
LightFull
Body: 5 out of 5
Tannin
LowHigh
Tannin: 4 out of 5
Acidity
LowHigh
Acidity: 4 out of 5
Fruit
SubtleIntense
Fruit: 5 out of 5

Aromas

black cherry
plum
blackberry
spice
meaty notes
Jammy red and black fruit
spice and savoury
meaty notes.

Sweetness · dry

Saperavi is the great red grape of Georgia, one of the oldest wine countries on Earth. It is a rare 'teinturier': its flesh is red as well as its skin, giving wines of inky colour. In China it has found an unexpected home in Turpan, in Xinjiang, where Puchang Vineyard's Saperavi won a Gold medal with 96 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

A grape from the Caucasus

Saperavi comes from Kakheti, in eastern Georgia. Its name means something like 'dye' or 'colour', because its juice is red: most red grapes have clear juice and get their colour only from the skins. It makes deep, powerful wines with high acidity that can age for decades.

Along the Silk Road to Turpan

Turpan, in Xinjiang, is one of the hottest and driest places in China, an oasis below sea level fed by ancient underground channels. It is also China's oldest grape country. Here, Puchang Vineyard grows Saperavi, a fitting link between two ancient vine lands of the Silk Road.

A gold medal

Puchang's Viaseres Reserve Saperavi 2017 won a Gold medal with 96 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, described as powerful and spicy, with jammy red and black fruit, meaty nuances and great concentration.

What to expect

Inky colour, ripe dark fruit, spice and fresh acidity, with a firm, rich structure.

History in China

Saperavi is one of the oldest grapes of Georgia, where wine has been made for around 8,000 years. In China it is a rarity, grown mainly in the Turpan basin of Xinjiang, where Puchang Vineyard has made it one of its signature wines.

Growing

Saperavi is cold-hardy and keeps high acidity even in hot climates, which suits Turpan's scorching summers and freezing winters. The vineyards rely on irrigation, and, as elsewhere in northern China, the vines are buried in winter.