Weāre calling it, this is the grape you need to know about (Picture: Getty Images)
If loving a new grape is wrong, I donāt want to be right. There, I said it.
Itās not necessarily wrong per se, but in my mind itās like Iām cheating on Cabernet and Malbec with a mysterious new vine, when we hadnāt actually clarified that we were in an open throuple.
In case youāre gagging to find out the name of the new grape, itās Saperavi.
Go on say it with me: sap-air-arvy.
Itās the next big thing in red wine, you literally heard it here first and we donāt need a TikTok trend to prove it this time.
Saperavi hails from Georgia, the country between Eastern Europe and West Asia, and packs a full bodied, powerful punch not unlike Cabernet Sauvignon with the warming spice and texture of a hearty Argentinian Malbec.
Join Metro Drinks Club and save on wine
Fancy regular access to deliciousĀ drinksĀ at tasty prices? Then welcome to the brand newĀ Metro Drinks Club, brought to you in association with Naked Wines.
To mark this exciting occasion, Metroās wine expert Rob Buckhaven hasĀ selected a series of cases from the Naked Wines rangeĀ ā offered at a very special price to Metro Drinks Club members.
Choose between a red, white and mixed 6-bottle case, or splash out on all three, to gain access to the Metro Drinks Club.
For Ā£34.99 per case, including free delivery, youāll get a best-in-market deal and save over Ā£45 off the market price.
How to join ā and save on your first case
Purchase any Metro Drinks Club case and youāre in the club, though you can opt out at any time.
Read moreĀ here.
Follow the link toĀ Metro Drinks Club at Naked WinesĀ to join and purchase your case.
M&S Found Saperavi, Ā£9, semi-guzzled by our Drinks Editor
Gen Z drinkers may even say itās got āmad rizā, meaning that itās really charismatic. People would cringe if I said that though, me included.
Ick aside, even the grape is unique, with red flesh as opposed to the greeny-yellow colour of regular grape innards. No wonder Saperavi translates as āpaintā or ādyeā, as this grape delivers some intensely purply-coloured wine.
As a sidenote those rare, red-fleshed berries are called āteinturierā grapes. Only a handful of them exist and theyāre pretty obscure, which makes them special in my book.
Metroās Rob Buckhaven loves identifying a new grape for us (Picture: Natasha Pszenicki)
Speaking of special, I predicted the rise of Saperavi in my 2024 drinking trends piece, so weāre getting in there early before it properly catches the popularity wave.
So early, in fact, that weāre not exactly swimming in the stuff over here at the moment, but Iāve done some light digging and found one for under a tenner.
Trust M&S to be on the pulse with their Found Saperavi, Ā£9, all intensely spiced plums, dried marjoram and the silkiest blackberry flavours to shake off the shackles of winter. I mean, itās bang on for colder evenings and could even be repurposed as a stand-in for expensive central heating. Who knew?
I can also share some potentially exciting intel, that Aldi might be working on their own version. Thatās just between us and might never happen but watch this space. Iāll be the first to tell you if it does, and if so, you know itās going to be well under a tenner.
For more spenny options, Waitrose does one called Orovela for Ā£17.49 and Majestic has Tbilvino Saperavi at Ā£13.99 (Ā£9.33 mix 6). You could pour both of them comfortably alongside a shepherdās pie, sausage casserole or braised short ribs and neither bottle has met a slow cooked pork belly it didnāt like.
For those poor souls doing Dry January, I see you, I support you and I suggest you buy some Saperavi to crack open on February 1. Thereās no better bottle to welcome you back. Ā
MORE : Kylieās telling us to drink less booze, we should listen to herā¦
We have an obsession with a new, ancient red grape…Ā
