Rkatsiteli

Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli is a traditional Georgian orange wine made from the rare Vardisperi Rkatsiteli, a pink-skinned mutation of the classic Rkatsiteli grape. This variety, almost lost to time, grows in Kakheti’s sun-soaked valleys at the foot of the Caucasus mountains, near the village of Tibaani and the 6th-century St. Stephen’s Monastery.

Following ancient methods dating back to 6000 BC, the grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented with their skins in underground qvevri—large clay vessels lined with beeswax that allow slow oxygen exchange and stable temperatures. The wine then ages for about nine months in qvevri before bottling, unfiltered and with minimal sulphur.

The result is a distinctive amber-hued wine with firm structure and lively acidity. Aromas of dried fruits, berries, and floral notes meet flavours of apricot, orange peel, and subtle spice, supported by fine tannins from the skin contact. With its deep roots in Georgian heritage and rare grape character, this is a wine that connects the drinker directly to one of the world’s oldest winemaking cultures.