Wine Arcana

Grape

Mujuretuli

Mujuretuli is a red grape associated with Racha in western Georgia, especially the semi-sweet wine Khvanchkara, where it is blended with Aleksandrouli. It also appears in dry varietal wines, which provide an opportunity to encounter it outside that established partnership.

A vineyard partner

Georgia's National Wine Agency describes Mujuretuli as commonly interplanted with Aleksandrouli around Ambrolauri and Tsageri, with single-variety vineyards less usual. The two names identify distinct grapes, even though their shared vineyard and cellar history makes them easy to discuss together.

Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo describes Mujuretuli as late-ripening, with elongated dark berries, colourless pulp, and susceptibility to both downy and powdery mildew. Late ripening gives the grower a long season over which to protect the crop. In the cellar, maceration extracts colour from the skins; Mujuretuli is not a red-fleshed teinturier.

Dry Mujuretuli

Gonadze Vineyards' 2022 Mujuretuli supplies a documented example of a dry wine made entirely from the grape. Its International Wine & Spirit Competition entry identifies it as 100% Mujuretuli, with stainless-steel maturation.1. International Wine & Spirit Competition, “Gonadze Vineyards, Mujuretuli 2022,” entry details, accessed 21 September 2026. This establishes a concrete alternative to encountering the grape only in a sweet blend, without requiring a fixed claim about what each partner contributes to every Khvanchkara.

The comparison is useful because residual sugar affects how acidity and tannin are perceived. A dry varietal bottling and a semi-sweet blend differ in composition and fermentation outcome; their contrast cannot be attributed solely to the presence or absence of Aleksandrouli. For readers exploring Racha, both styles belong in the picture of the region's wine.

Sources