white grape · regional staple
Chinuri
Kartli, Georgia
Say it
chee·noo·ree
Chinebuli means excellent in Georgian and is a common synonym for this grape.
On the palate
pearmintherbalapricotdried apricot
How you spot it blind: brisk acidity with a minty herbal lift, common in Kartli’s lightly sparkling Atenuri
The story
Chinuri is native to Kartli and is also grown in Kakheti. Before phylloxera and fungal diseases it was widely planted around Gori and Kaspi, then declined but remained widespread in Kartli. It is best known today as the base of the Atenuri sparkling PDO and is also made as still wine, including qvevri versions.
Where it lives
Kartli, Georgia · Kakheti, Georgia
Shows up as
sparklingstill whiteorange