Russell & Suitor Alejandro Saperavi 2024

Winemaker team and owners Alex Russell and Lara Suitor are unusual cats in as much as they make alternative varietals like Saperavi, Durif and Lagrein off their property in the Riverland, while also owning a vineyard in Pipers River, Tasmania, from which they makes excellent Pinot, Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. That's quite a contrast in styles and climates.

Their Tassie Pinot is incredible, as are their warm climate alternatives, Montepulciano, Saperavi and Graciano - ask us about mate's rates!

Georgia is widely regarded as the cradle of wine, with archaeological evidence suggesting winemaking there dates back around 8,000 years. Among its hundreds of native grapes, Saperavi stands out as one of the oldest cultivated red varieties still in commercial use today.

So why does Georgia produce such exceptional wine compared with many of its neighbours? The answer is part culture, part geography, and part history.

Neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan both have significant Muslim populations, meaning wine was never as culturally central there as it was in Georgia. Armenia, while home to excellent indigenous varieties and ancient winemaking traditions of its own, has historically operated on a much smaller scale and lacked the sustained investment needed to build a major global wine presence.

Meanwhile, Russia traditionally focused more on volume than quality. During the Soviet era, Georgia effectively served as one of the USSR’s premium wine sources, producing enormous quantities for Russian consumption.

Everything changed in 2006, when Russia banned Georgian wine imports. The shock forced Georgia’s wine industry to reinvent itself almost overnight. Rather than producing vast “wine lakes” for a captive Soviet market, producers pivoted toward quality-focused wines aimed at Europe, Asia, Australia, and the US.

Fortunately, Georgia had extraordinary raw materials to work with: more than 500 indigenous grape varieties, ancient winemaking knowledge, and remarkable growing conditions. The Caucasus Mountains help shield vineyards from brutal northern weather, while the Black Sea moderates temperatures and contributes valuable humidity. The climate is generally kinder and more balanced than many parts of Azerbaijan or eastern Turkey, allowing grapes like Saperavi to achieve exceptional ripeness while retaining freshness and structure.

The result is wines of remarkable depth, colour, and character — powerful yet vibrant, ancient yet increasingly refined. Saperavi, in particular, produces deeply coloured reds with dark fruit, spice, natural acidity, and impressive longevity, making it one of the most distinctive grape varieties in the world today.