Wine Arcana

Grape

Khikhvi

Khikhvi is a white Georgian grape associated especially with Kakheti. Its uses encompass dry whites, amber wines, and sweet wines. Floral and stone-fruit aromas can appear across these styles, while sweetness and skin contact change their weight and texture.

Georgia's National Wine Agency describes an early-ripening variety susceptible to powdery mildew. This combination gives growers two separate considerations: completing ripening and keeping the crop healthy.

Contrasting dry wines

Keburia's Khikhvi illustrates a light dry white from Kakheti. The producer describes a pale, straw-coloured wine with moderate acidity and fruit and floral aromas.

Palavani's Khikhvi provides a different expression from Kistauri, also in Kakheti. Its account of the 2022 wine identifies Khikhvi as the sole grape, with fermentation in qvevri and at least six months of qvevri ageing. The producer describes an amber colour, dried-fruit character, and a fuller texture.1. Palavani Winery, “Khikhvi,” 2022 wine and production account, accessed 21 September 2026. The two examples establish a range of current production within the same broad region, without making one winery's tasting note a fixed description of the variety.

For skin-contact white wine, extraction from grape solids can supply tannin alongside the fruit's acidity. These sensations need to be distinguished: a dry amber wine may feel grippy even when its acidity is relatively soft. Likewise, honey-like aroma does not establish that a wine contains much residual sugar. Both producer examples above are described as dry.

Regional significance

Khikhvi adds another option to Kakheti's better-known white grapes, including Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane Kakhuri. Its present-day interest lies in the survival and use of that regional diversity, with named varietal wines allowing readers to encounter it directly.

Sources