Wine Arcana

Grape

Aleksandrouli

Also known as Alexandrouli

Aleksandrouli, also written Alexandrouli, is a red grape of Racha and neighbouring western Georgian districts. It is closely associated in the cellar with Mujuretuli, its partner in the semi-sweet red wine Khvanchkara. The same grape also supplies dry wines, making sweetness an important distinction between bottlings.

Racha and ripening

The nursery Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo describes Aleksandrouli as a late-ripening variety cultivated around Ambrolauri, Oni, and Tsageri. Its technical profile records susceptibility to downy mildew and the potential to make both dry and semi-sweet wines. Reaching sufficient ripeness and preserving healthy fruit are therefore central vineyard concerns.

The berry has dark skin but colourless pulp. As with most red wine grapes, maceration brings pigments from the skins into the juice. The finished wine's colour and tannin depend partly on extraction, while the amount of residual sugar changes its perceived fullness and balance.

Beyond a single style

Gonadze Vineyards in Ambrolauri illustrates the range within Racha. Its profile on Georgia's official tourism directory lists Khvanchkara alongside dry red wines, including one sold as Aleksandrouli. The detailed description identifies that dry wine as a blend with Mujuretuli, a useful reminder to check composition even when a grape name leads the label.1. Georgia Travel, “Gonadze Vineyards,” wine descriptions, accessed 21 September 2026.

Comparing a dry blend with a semi-sweet Khvanchkara keeps both the regional partnership and the cellar decision in view. During alcoholic fermentation, yeast converts grape sugar into alcohol; the sugar left in the finished wine is a separate property from its ripe-fruit aromas. Dry examples give Aleksandrouli a contemporary role alongside Racha's established sweeter style.

Sources