(Gerhard Ziegler / animated pic: runwayml)
A telephone conversation with Georgia, once again: My interlocutor, Saba Kitiashvili, is sitting somewhere between the end of the working day and his Georgian wine mission. He does not speak in grand slogans, but very concretely: about studying, research, grape varieties, his own small vineyard and a wine that can now also be found through over 8,000 Vintages in Berlin. Kitiashvili is not just a winemaker. He also works as a sommelier, educator and wine expert. He became publicly known as Chief Winemaker of CIU Winery “Ethno Okami” and as a lecturer at Caucasus International University. In 2024, he was also voted Best Sommelier of Georgia. This fits his story well: winemaking, education and communication come together for him. He does not just want to make a wine, but also to explain why this variety, Muscat, is so important.
For him, it all begins not with marketing, but with a master’s thesis.
“This passion started since I started to do my master’s degree in International Caucasus University.”
Kitiashvili’s subject was Muscaturi Rkatsiteli, a newly bred Georgian grape variety. It was created from Muscat of Alexandria and Rkatsiteli. Rkatsiteli is one of Georgia’s most important white grape varieties. Muscat brings aroma, fragrance and floral notes. This combination is precisely what interests Saba.
“My master’s theme […] was the newly breeded Georgian grape sort Muscaturi Rkatsiteli.”
Georgia has an enormous diversity of old grape varieties. In the interview, Saba speaks of 525 indigenous varieties. What he noticed was that aromatic varieties had previously played no major role in Georgia.
“Georgian indigenous grape varieties […] there is a huge number, 525 old autochthonic grape sorts, but we did not have any aromatic grapes before.”
Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is therefore not simply “a Muscat”. It is a Georgian answer to a question that had hardly been asked before: What can an aromatic variety look like when it comes from Georgian grape-variety material? Saba explains that research into new grape varieties was already being carried out in Georgia in the 1970s. Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is one of the results. Nevertheless, the variety remains rare to this day.
“Only a few hectares you will find the vineyards from Muscaturi Rkatsiteli.”
For Saba, it did not end with research. In 2019, he founded his own company, Springfields. He comes from Shida Kartli, a region in central Georgia with a moderate climate. His family had a peach orchard there. At some point, the old trees reached the end of their lives. So he planted Muscaturi Rkatsiteli.
“We had the garden of the peaches […] we planted the Muscaturi Rkatsiteli in that garden. So now it becomes a vineyard.”
A lovely image: a peach orchard becoming a Muscat vineyard. Somewhere in the region around Gori. Not a large estate, not industry, but a small place where a rare variety is being put into practice. A small laboratory in the best sense. Saba works almost exclusively with this one variety. But he makes different wine styles from it: sparkling wine, dry white wine and a sweet fortified wine.
“One grape sort can give you different types of wine.”
His production is very small. At the moment, he speaks of approximately 2,000 bottles a year. He describes the variety itself as aromatic, but rather light.
“Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is a quite aromatic wine, but usually with a low sugar content and less body.”
This gives rise to his style: not heavy wines, but fresh, accessible, aromatic wines. For many people, Muscat immediately suggests fragrance, flowers and sometimes sweetness. For Saba, however, it is not about a simple sweet Muscat wine. He is looking for a dry, fresh, floral style that works well in restaurants. Communication is important to him in this respect. Because Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is hardly known, he has to explain the variety. He works with restaurants, sommeliers and chefs so that they understand what they have in their glasses.
“I’m always connected with the chefs and with the sommeliers to make them understand, truly understand what type of grape it is, because this is a new grape sort.”
This is a central point: Saba is a winemaker, but also a communicator. He is not only making wine, but also building knowledge about a variety that hardly anyone knows. In the meantime, he says, interest is growing. Some people have begun planting Muscaturi Rkatsiteli themselves or making house wine from it. His own vines are now also entering the decisive phase.
“This year I will have my own first crops.”
In the cellar, Saba deliberately takes a restrained approach. He openly says that he uses cultured yeasts and sulphur. At the same time, he does without filtration and fining. Stabilisation is achieved through chilling. According to Saba, his wines have also been tasted for Lisa Granik’s guide to Georgian wines and have been awarded silver and a Special Mention over the past two years.
“It’s already two years that my wine is participating in the tastings, and now […] it’s taking the silver medal with a special mention.”
Saba Kitiashvili is turning a master’s thesis into a wine project. A peach orchard is becoming a small vineyard. Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is becoming an attempt to retell Georgian aromatics. Muscaturi Rkatsiteli is not merely a grape variety. It is the fighter.
And Saba? The Prince of Muscat.
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