white grape · rare
Khikhvi
Kakheti, Georgia
Say it
khee·khvee
Both 'kh' sounds are the uvular fricative, like 'ch' in German Bach; the second syllable opens with the consonant cluster 'khv' — no vowel between them
On the palate
apricotwhite peachquinceorange peelchamomilehoney
How you spot it blind: distinctive boxwood aroma over ripe stone fruit and honey
The story
Reduced to approximately one hectare nationally by 2004 through Soviet-era collectivization, Khikhvi has since been revived by the natural-wine movement's appetite for rare Georgian indigenes
Where it lives
Gurjaani / Kardanakhi, Kakheti · Telavi, Kakheti · Akhmeta, Kakheti
Shows up as
still whiteorangesweetfortified