red grape · rare
Pink Rkatsiteli
Kakheti, Georgia
Say it
var·dis·peh·reer·kaht·see·teh·lee
'Vardisperi' literally means 'pink' in Georgian; the initial R in Rkatsiteli is lightly trilled and may sound near-silent to English speakers
On the palate
apricotorange peelraspberrystrawberryrose
How you spot it blind: pink-skinned Rkatsiteli clone with deeper aromatics and coppery amber expression
The story
First written down · 1948, Kakheti, Georgia
Discovered as a spontaneous bud mutation on Rkatsiteli vines during the 1948 harvest and identified by Georgian scientist Vasil Loladze; classified by most ampelographers as a color clone, not a distinct variety.
Where it lives
Kakheti, Georgia
Shows up as
orangerosé