Shumi
Iberiuli Saperavi

Where Antiquity Becomes Flavour

The Shumi Iberiuli Saperavi is not merely a wine — it is a conversation between a winemaker and 8,000 years of Georgian tradition. Made in qvevri, as wine has always been made in this corner of the Caucasus.

"Iberiuli" refers to Iberia — the ancient Georgian kingdom that encompassed much of the South Caucasus — making this wine's name both a geographical and historical declaration. Produced at Shumi Winery in the Tsinandali zone of Kakheti, this Saperavi is fermented and aged in traditional clay qvevri vessels buried in the earth of the estate's ancient cellar.

The qvevri method — using unlined clay amphora — allows the wine to interact with its vessel in a way that stainless steel and oak barrels cannot replicate. The result is a wine of exceptional complexity, earthy character, and a texture — smooth yet grippy — that is entirely its own.

Sensory Profile

Qvevri — 8,000 Years of Winemaking Wisdom

The qvevri (ქვევრი) is a large, egg-shaped clay vessel used for the fermentation, storage, and maturation of wine — a technology developed in Georgia over 8,000 years ago and still used today on estates like Shumi Winery. In 2013, UNESCO added Georgian qvevri winemaking to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For the Iberiuli Saperavi, harvested grapes are crushed and transferred — with all their skins, seeds, and stems (in the traditional Kakhetian method) — into qvevri that are sealed with beeswax-lined lids. Fermentation occurs naturally in the vessel's constant, cool underground temperature. After fermentation, the wine remains in contact with its solids for months, absorbing colour, tannin, and complexity that no other vessel type can provide.