Wine Arcana

Grape

Ojaleshi

Ojaleshi is a red grape of Samegrelo in western Georgia, with a long association with the Martvili district. It makes dry and sweeter reds, and contemporary producers also use it for rosé. Its regional identity needs some care: bottles bearing the similar name Orbeluri Ojaleshi from Lechkhumi should not automatically be treated as the same grape.

Samegrelo and the vineyard

The National Wine Agency connects Ojaleshi's name with its historical training up trees. Modern vineyards also use lower training systems. The grape ripens late, sometimes into November, and is susceptible to fungal disease, particularly powdery mildew. Keeping fruit healthy through that long season is an important part of growing it.

The agency describes red-fruit aromas with a spicy edge in its wines. Sweetness depends on how much residual sugar remains after fermentation; a ripe-fruited aroma alone does not establish whether a bottle is dry.

Contemporary wines and naming

Keto Ninidze's Oda Family Winery offers a useful view of Ojaleshi's present range in Samegrelo. Its menu lists both a red Ojaleshi and the rosé Naked Ojaleshi from the 2024 vintage, fermented in qvevri. Importer Williams Corner describes Naked Ojaleshi as directly pressed, with subsequent maturation in qvevri. Pressing early limits the time juice spends with dark skins, making rosé possible from the same red grape.

Oda separately lists Orbeluri Ojaleshi from Orbeli in Lechkhumi. The naming problem has a longer history: in 2014, journalist Aleko Tskhitishvili reported that Georgian varietal lists distinguished the two names while commercial labels and even agency communications sometimes conflated them.1. Aleko Tskhitishvili, “100% Ojaleshi Grapes” Regulations, Mistakes and Funny Moments, Marani, 22 November 2014. His account documents naming practice and disagreement, rather than establishing a genetic relationship. This article concerns the Samegrelo grape; the regional qualifier is worth preserving when describing wines from Orbeli.

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