Saperavi at Standing Stone Vineyards

Discover the Saperavi grape at Standing Stone Vineyards on Sunday, November 15. The winery will host a Saperavi Vertical Tasting.

At the Standing Stone Vineyards, participants will have the opportunity to taste several vintages of Saperavi. The vintages will include the 2014, 2010 and 2005.

The Saperavi Vertical Tasting takes place Sunday, November 15. The price for this unique tasting is $20. Be sure to rsvp at ssvny@standingstonewines.com.

According an email  from Standing Stone about Saperavi, “This variety demands food (you will learn some Georgian history as well, which includes how much the Georgians like to eat, with company), and so we’ll have some perfect pairings from our good friends at Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca. Learn about the history of the Saperavi grape, learn why Tom and Marti planted this variety first in a small way, and then went fairly big, and most importantly, taste this delicious wine and let your tongue observe how well it ages.”

Saperavi, an Ancient Grape Variety

Saperavi is a wine grape that dates back to the country Georgia. We first discovered the Saperavi grape in Virginia and New York. It was in 2013 when we first had the opportunity to find out more about Saperavi during a visit to the country Georgia where Saperavi is one of the many indigenous grapes growing.

In our book, Georgia, Sakartvelo: The Birthplace of Wine, we described the Saperavi grape. “The Saperavi variety grape is a very old Georgian variety. A variety of wine styles are produced with this grape including dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and fortified. The wine produced with this grape is a dark purple to black color with red fruit notes and tannins. The grape does well when producing European-style wines and traditional-style wines made in qvevris. Rather than choosing a Cabernet Sauvignon for dinner, enjoy a Saperavi. The Saperavi is a good wine for aging.” Consider pairing Saperavi with grilled meat, aged cheese, charcuterie and wild game.

After attending the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference we had the opportunity to make a return trip to Standing Stone Vineyards, one of several wineries on the East Coast that is growing Saperavi.

After our visit to Standing Stone Vineyards and walking to the vineyards where Saperavi grapes were awaiting harvest, we wrote an article about the experience of visiting the winery. The article is available online.

Cheers!
Kathy