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Saperavi (საფერავი; literally "paint, dye, give color") is an acidic, teinturier-type grape variety native to the country of Georgia, where it is used to make many of the region's most well-known wines. Separavi spread from Georgia to other parts of the Black Sea region and is considered an important variety in countries such as Moldova, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. Saperavi. The Oxford Companion to Wine, Oxford University Press: August 15, 2023. ISBN 9780192644800. In recent decades, it has also made its way as far as the United States Saperavi, Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved: 16 September 2025. and Australia, where it began to gain foothold in the 1990s. Australian Viticulture: 1996, Volume 11, p.6. Quote: "To most Australian wine consumers, Saperavi is an unknown grape variety but the emergence of a few commercial wines has started to peak some interest from the industry." Where is Saperavi now?, Meininger's International: 26 May 2016. Quote: "most surprisingly perhaps, Australia, where it is being used to produce wines by at least 14 wineries."
Saperavi is also known under the synonyms Didi Saperavi, Kleinberiger, Nerki Khagog, Patara Saperavi, Saparavi, Sapeavi de Kakhetie, Saperaibi, Saperavi de Kachet, Saperavi de Kakhetie, Saperavi Patara, Sapeur, Sapperavi, Sapperavy, Scoperawi, and Szaperavi.
Saperavi produces an extractive wine with a characteristic bouquet, a harmonious taste, and pleasant astringency. Its alcoholic strength ranges from 10.5 to 12.5% and titrated acidity from 5 to 7%. Saperavi grapes produce very deep red wines that are suitable for extended aging. It has the potential to produce high alcohol levels, and is often blended with lighter varieties. It is by far the most dominant Georgian red grape in terms of overall production.
Saperavi is a hardy variety, known for its ability to handle extremely cold weather and is popular for growing in high altitude and inland regions such as Kakheti. It is a teinturier grape, containing the red anthocyanin within the grape pulp as well as the skin and is unusual in being one of very few such grapes used in single-varietal winemaking.
Saperavi grapes are used predominantly in Georgia and Russia, but have spread to other regions of Eastern Europe more recently (e.g., Purcari in Moldova). Saperavi cultivars are also being grown in New World wine regions, notably in Finger Lakes and Niagara area vineyards. It has shown promising results for a few growers in Australian wine, where it was pioneered in the King Valley Region of northeast Victoria. The largest single Saperavi vineyard is likely the 400-hectare (990-acre) vineyard owned by Badagoni Winery in the Kakheti region of Georgia.
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