white grape · regional staple
Tsitska
Imereti, Georgia
Say it
tseet·ska
Initial 'ts' is a true affricate (as in 'cats'); Georgian 'i' is a pure front vowel, closer to 'ee' than to English short 'i'
On the palate
green applelemonlimepearquincehoneysuckle
How you spot it blind: razor-sharp acidity; Georgia's benchmark base grape for sparkling wine
The story
DNA analysis (VIVC) traces one parent to Bazaleturi; by 2004 Tsitska accounted for ~6% of all Georgian vine plantings (~2,839 ha), concentrated in Imereti.
Family tree: BAZALETURI × ?
Where it lives
Imereti, Georgia
Shows up as
still whitesparkling
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Also answers to Tskitska.
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