Contents:
- Climate conditions in the Akhasheni microzone
- Soils of the Akhasheni microzone
- Winemaking and characteristics of Akhasheni wine
Akhasheni is another microzone of Kakheti, which is famous for its semi-sweet wines.
Akhasheni wine was first produced in 1958 by the Zegaani factory, which is still engaged in this business.
Akhasheni microzone:
- occupies 112 hectares and is located on the territory of Inner Kakheti, between the right tributaries of the Alazani River – Chermiskhevi and Papriskhevi;
- bordersin the northeast with the Mukuzani microzone, famous for its tannic wines;
- islocated at 41 latitude, in the favorable interval between 30 and 50 latitudes;
- has a relief with smooth hills, oriented mainly to the southwest, northeast and east, where they meet the Alazani Valley;
- is located at an altitude of 350-700 meters above sea level;
- includesitself settlement of Akhasheni and another small village of Chumlaki;
- is a continuation of the forested slopes of the Tsiv-Gombori Range, extending into the Alazani Valley. The Tsiv-Gombori Range rises only 14.5 kilometers from the territory of Akhasheni and, of course, influences the macroclimate of the region.
Climate conditions in the microzone of Akhasheni
Since the territory of Akhasheni is located in close proximity to Mukuzani, the climatic conditions of these two zones are similar.
Moderate climate
In general, the climate here is also moderate and in places subtropical. But cold air masses descending from the glacier-covered peaks of the Caucasus Mountains and moving from the northwest to the southeast affect the overall air temperature, as well as the difference between night and day temperatures. The direction of these cold winds is determined by the riverbed of the Alazani River, which stretches from west to east. Nevertheless, summers in Akhasheni are hot, and winters are moderately cold.
Moderate Humidity
Due to the distance from the Black Sea and, again, the influence of the mountains, the air humidity in the Akhasheni microzone is also moderate: 860 mm of precipitation falls per year, of which 637 mm falls during the growing season. Irrigation is allowed, but is not required often.
«Fertile» temperature regime
Like the Mukuzani microzone, Akhasheni receives 2150-2200 hours of sun per year, of which 1600 are during the growing season. In addition, the vineyards grow on small slopes facing northeast, which slightly increases the amount of sunlight.
The average annual temperature of Akhasheni is moderate: +12.5 °C, in July-August its average value approaches +24 °C, and in the coldest month – January, it rarely drops below +1.1 °C. Such a temperature regime allows for the production of high-quality and technically ripe grapes.
Frost and hail
The risk of spring frosts persists until the end of March-beginning of April and, if the vine buds open early, they can die due to too low temperatures, thus reducing the potential harvest. Another danger for the future harvest is hail, which sometimes occurs in the warm season.
Altitude above sea level
The mesoclimate of Akhasheni is also affected by the altitude above sea level. So, at an altitude of 450-500 meters above sea level, the conditions (amount of sunlight, slope, soil) are favorable for the production of semi-sweet premium quality Akhasheni wines. A little lower – at an altitude of 350-400 meters above sea level – it is slightly warmer, which affects the acidity level of the grapes and wine from such areas is classified as “good quality”.
It should be noted that Saperavi is the only variety permitted for the production of Akhasheni, it reaches technical maturity by the end of September, but the harvest for semi-sweet wine is collected in mid-October, when the sugar level in it is higher, and there are more various aromatic substances.
Soils of the Akhasheni microzone
The territory of Akhasheni is dominated by brown, sod-carbonate soils “rendzina”. They were formed on the alluvium of calcareous rocks, and sometimes include fairly large inclusions of these rocks.
Also distinguished are calcareous alluvial soils on loam, more or less stony depending on the site, and dealluvial calcareous soils on loam.
- Brown soils of the “Rendzina” type are found in the southwestern part of the microzone, on the northeastern slopes of the Tsiv-Gombori ridge and, especially, in the Papari valley in the immediate vicinity of the Akhasheni settlement and in the southwest of the Chumlaki settlement.
- Alluvial calcareous soils are also found in the territory of the above-mentioned villages, as well as in their north-eastern part, in the center of the microzone and on the slopes and banks of the rivers Chermiskhevi, Papriskhevi.
- Dealluvial calcareous soils partially cover the center of the microzone and the slightly hilly relief of the southern foothills of the Tsiv-Gombori Range.
Thus, despite its small size, the territory of the Akhasheni microzone is distinguished by the diversity of soils, which in turn is reflected in the wines.
The subsoils have common features: they consist of loam, sometimes sand and a calcareous component, which reaches 40-50% in the lower layers. In dry times, irrigation is sometimes required on such soils, but it should be stopped a month before harvesting.
However, in general, such soils together with the climatic conditions of Akhasheni allow to obtain high-quality grapes for the production of semi-sweet wine.
Winemaking and characteristics of Akhasheni wine
Akhasheni is a semi-sweet wine, containing from 30 to 50 g/l of residual sugar.
- The sugar is preserved by partial fermentation of the must with the cap (skins and seeds) submerged, which helps extract tannins and aromatic components.
- During harvest, the grapes should contain 22% or more sugar.
- The stalks are separated before fermentation to avoid excessive release of tannins, astringency and bitterness in the wine, which should remain pleasant and soft.
- Fermentation is stopped until the sugar is completely converted into alcohol by cooling or adding sulfur dioxide and filtration.
Akhasheni’s style resembles that of Kindzmarauli: it has a rich ruby color, a deep and harmonious fruity taste (raspberry, cherry, blackberry) with shades of sweet spices. The wine also tastes rich and quite dense, but, as a rule, it is a little softer and sweeter than Kindzmarauli.
