作者：by Dan Traucki 文/丹·卓科里 發布時間：2017-06-05 關注度：260
Georgia’s most important grape variety saperavi is slowly making its way into Australian vineyards. But how do these young wines compare with their traditional counterparts?
格魯吉亞最知名的薩別拉維葡萄正悄然扎根于澳大利亞的葡萄種植園。但是初出茅廬的薩別拉維葡萄酒與傳統工藝的葡萄酒相比，又會是一番怎樣的滋味呢？
Saperavi is a deep, darkly coloured red grape variety that is one of 525 indigenous varieties from Georgia (the country), formerly part of the Soviet Union. Saperavi literally means ‘dye’ or ‘paint’. It is one of the very few wine grapes that has red flesh, as almost all red grape varieties have clear flesh, with the wine’s colour coming wholly from the skins.
薩別拉維是一種色澤深黑的紅葡萄品種，它是格魯吉亞（前蘇聯的一部分）525本土葡萄品種的一種。薩別拉維字面意思是“染料”或“油漆”。它是一種稀有的紅色果肉葡萄品種。而幾乎所有紅葡萄的果肉都是晶瑩透亮的，葡萄酒的顏色則完全來自于果皮。
Saperavi is the single most important grape variety in Georgia, in the same way as malbec in Argentina and shiraz in Australia. However, up until now this variety has been almost unknown to Australian wine drinkers. Only recently has it started being grown here by a few innovative winemakers, while at the same time imported wines have started arriving from Georgia.
薩別拉維在格魯吉亞一枝獨秀，是葡萄王國中的翹楚。其顯赫程度不亞于馬爾貝克之于阿根廷，西拉之于澳大利亞的地位。然而時至今日，這一葡萄品種在澳大利亞葡萄酒消費者心目中幾乎鮮有人知。直到最近，幾家富有開拓創新精神的釀酒商開始嘗試引種，與此同時，市面上也出現了格魯吉亞進口葡萄酒的身影。
Georgia is located on the edge of the Black Sea and has Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan as its neighbours (some ‘peaceful’ neighbourhood to be in, huh?!).
格魯吉亞地處黑海沿岸，毗鄰俄羅斯、土耳其、亞美尼亞和阿塞拜疆（算得上領國關系很“融洽”，對吧？！）。
Georgia has a population of 4.5 million, which is roughly the same as that of Sydney. It is widely considered to be the cradle of wine, as it’s proven that they have been making wine for more than 8000 years. It is a very different wine scene to ours, and most other countries, in that a very large proportion of Georgians make their own wine at home. Almost all farmers have at least a few rows of vines and city dwellers visit to buy grapes to make their own wine at home. City folks with gardens tend to grow at least some of their own grapes to make their wine.
格魯吉亞人口450萬，與悉尼大致相當。作為世界公認的葡萄酒發源地，農民們至少都會種上幾垅葡萄，而城市居民則會到鄉下購買葡萄自釀葡萄酒。擁有私家花園的城里人都愿意或多或少地種些葡萄，自釀美酒。
As a result of this, there are not very many ‘proper’ wineries in Georgia, a few Soviet-era industrial winemakers, and more recently, a rising number of small boutique wineries.
正因于此，格魯吉亞并沒有太多“正統”的酒莊，只有前蘇聯時期遺留下來屈指可數的幾家工業化酒莊。還有就是最近一段時間，不斷涌現的小型精釀酒莊。
Much of Georgia’s wine is made in qvervi – clay amphora used to make the original ‘natural’ wine. The qvervi is lined with beeswax before the grapes are put in, then it is sealed and left to ferment using natural yeasts. The following spring, the wine is syphoned out, the lees are scooped out and the qvervi is cleaned with spring water so as to be ready for making the next vintage. There are no additives, chemicals or oak used, and there is no filtration – what could be more natural than that?
不少格魯吉亞葡萄酒都采用qvervi 陶罐釀造，它是一種用來釀造原生態“天然”葡萄酒的雙耳陶罐。陶罐內壁先涂以蜂蠟，接著放入葡萄、密封，然后天然酵母發酵。次年春天，便可將酒漿虹吸出來，舀出酒泥，再用泉水將陶罐清洗干凈，便可釀造下一年份的葡萄酒了。沒有添加物，不施農藥，不用橡木桶，也不用過濾——如此這般，試問天底下還有比這更天然的嗎？
In Georgia, saperavi is used not only to make dry red wines, but also semi-sweet and sweet red wines, which were at the height of their popularity during the Communist era. It is also used to make rosé and sometimes blended with their main white variety, rkatsiteli, to make their semi-sweet Alazani wines.
在格魯吉亞，薩別拉維不僅可以釀造干紅葡萄酒，還可釀造半甜和甜紅葡萄酒。其風靡程度在社會主義時期達到歷史巔峰。此外，它還可以用于釀造桃紅葡萄酒，有時候，也可以與格魯吉亞主要的白葡萄品種——卡斯泰利混釀成阿拉贊半甜葡萄酒。
During the Soviet era, saperavi spread to several other communist countries, such as Moldova, but was virtually unheard of in the rest of the world. More recently, it immigrated to the Finger Lakes region of New York and then to Australia.
前蘇聯時期，薩別拉維葡萄傳播到其他多個社會主義國家，譬如摩爾多瓦。但是在世界的其他地方卻基本上無人知曉。直到最近，它才漂洋過海來到紐約州的芬格湖群地區，繼而扎根澳大利亞。
Preparing for tasting
品鑒前的籌備工作
To conduct the tasting for this article, we endeavoured to contact all 20 of the current saperavi growers in Australia. In the end, 12 wineries submitted samples. Patritti Wines provided a sample of each of the nine vintages they have made so far. From the USA, three of the five Finger Lakes (New York) wineries that produce saperavi sent samples. (This was really appreciated as sending wine samples across the globe is a complex (bio-terrorism) and costly exercise. A very special thanks to McGregor Vineyards of Keuka Lake, New York, which magnanimously sent six of the last seven vintages of its excellent Black Russian Red.)
為了籌備本文的品鑒活動，我們費盡心血聯系了澳大利亞全境目前能夠找到的20家薩別拉維種植園。最后，12家酒莊送來了酒樣。Patritti Wines酒莊送來了到目前為止釀造的九個年份的酒樣。美國芬格湖群地區（紐約）五家薩別拉維酒莊中的三家送來了酒樣。（真心感謝他們橫跨半個地球送酒，要知道這不光費事（生物恐怖主義），而且花費也不菲。特別感謝紐約庫克湖的McGregor Vineyards酒莊，他們慷慨地發來了最近七個年份的精品黑俄羅斯紅葡萄酒（Black Russian Red）中的六款。）
The Georgians were represented thanks to local importers tamada.com.au and vinous.com.au, which import Tbilvino Wines and Pheasant’s Tears Wines respectively. We were therefore able to compare examples of Georgian saperavi to those from other cool/cold climate areas, as well as trying saperavi that had been made in qvervi.
多虧了本地進口商tamada.com.au和vinous.com.au，我們找到了格魯吉亞葡萄酒的代表，他們分別是第比維諾（Tbilvino Wines）和山雞之淚（Pheasant’s Tears Wines）酒莊。這樣，我們才能夠對比格魯吉亞薩別拉維、涼爽/寒冷地區以及qvervi陶罐薩別拉維葡萄酒之間的不同魅力。
One of the main observations from this tasting is that, irrespective of where the variety is grown and whether it is vinified conventionally or in qvervi, the wines displayed a great deal of core commonality: the deep, dark colour; the fragrant beetroot-like aromatics; and the solid, central core of tightly structured flavour. The other main observation made is that there are two distinctive styles of saperavi: a cool/cold-climate style and a warm-climate style.
品鑒中的一個重要發現是不管薩別拉維葡萄生長在何處，無論是傳統工藝還是陶罐工藝釀造，全部葡萄酒都呈現出核心共性：色深黑，甜菜根似的酒香，結構緊致、堅實，濃香馥郁。此為，另外的重要發現是有兩種不同風格的薩別拉維葡萄酒：涼爽/寒冷型和溫暖型風格。
Saperavi is renowned for its ability to cope with extremely cold conditions and therefore the cool/cold-climate wines are the norm and were, in the main, slightly lighter coloured, tighter and more restrained, with higher acidity and needing longer for the fruit to come to the fore.
薩別拉維抵抗嚴寒的能力是出了名的，因此涼爽/寒冷氣候型葡萄酒更為普遍。葡萄酒的顏色也淡一些，更緊致、內斂，酸度更高，需要較長時間的陳年才能散發出迷人果香。
Whereas warmer climate saperavi is a much more recent phenomena that has only really arisen since the variety’s arrival in Australia. While these wines are much more open and opulent than their more restrained cool cousins, they share the same core inherent characteristics of huge colour, a steel rod (RSJ) backbone and masses of flavour. However, being from a warmer climate allows for more acid to be converted to sugar – they are more forward, less austere and ready to drink earlier than their cooler climate counterparts. It is somewhat similar to say, comparing Barossa shiraz to those of the cooler Adelaide Hills or Tasmania.
溫暖型薩別拉維只是扎根澳大利亞之后才初露芳容的新景象。不過與內斂的寒冷型相比，她們則更活潑有活力，更豐腴華美。她們關鍵的內在共性是色澤濃重，鋼筋般堅硬的骨架，酒香四溢。只不過，溫暖的氣候更有利于酸味轉化成香甜。相比較冷地區的薩別拉維，她們更率真，也不那么緊澀，也更可以早些飲用。說起來有點像巴羅薩與較涼爽地區的阿德萊德山或塔斯馬尼亞西拉的區別。
The wines from Georgia
格魯吉亞葡萄酒
The Tbilvino range of six saperavi starting with the 2013 rosé, which to start with wasn’t very impressive compared to Aussie rosés but after a couple of hours of breathing in the glass, it was fantastic, as the strawberry aromas and elegant flavours came to the fore.
第比維諾包括六款薩別拉維系列葡萄酒。先從2013年份桃紅葡萄酒開始品鑒，與澳洲桃紅相比，入口并無特別過人之處。然而在酒杯中醒幾個時辰后，待到其草莓和精致酒香彌漫開來之時，方顯其精彩曼妙。
The three dry red Saperavi wines from Tbilvino each came from a different region in Georgia. They were the Tbilvino Napareuli 2013 Saperavi, which unfortunately was corked; the Tbilvino Mukuzani 2013 Saperavi, a lightish bodied (for saperavi), smooth, mellow wine that is ready to drink right now on its own; and the Tbilvino Kakheti 2013 Saperavi from the main/best known growing area in the country, was a very classy wine with attractive aromas. The latter had a smooth, rich body with a great depth of flavour and was not as acidic or tannic as most of the other wines in this tasting. This is a great example of how good Georgian saperavi can be equally enjoyable on its own or with delicious food.
第比維諾三款薩別拉維干紅葡萄酒分別來自格魯吉亞的不同產區。她們分別是Tbilvino Napareuli 2013 Saperavi，不幸的是沾染了木塞味。Tbilvino Mukuzani 2013 Saperavi 是一款酒體輕盈（相對于薩別拉維來說），柔滑醇厚并且當下便可飲用的葡萄酒。Kakheti 2013 Saperavi 出自于格魯吉亞最主要也是最知名的產區，酒香迷人，堪稱佳品。后者入口柔滑、馥郁，滋味醇厚，喝起來沒有大多數葡萄酒的酸澀。作為格魯吉亞精品薩別拉維葡萄酒的杰出典范，無論是獨酌還是美食佐餐，都是美好的人生享受。
The other Georgian saperavi – both the Pheasant’s Tears 2013 Saperavi and the Vinoterra 2009 Saperavi – were made in qvervi rather than by conventional methods. These two wines were quite a contrast, with the Vinoterra being a sophisticated, elegant, smooth, medium-bodied in colour and palate wine, with a finer finish. While the Pheasant’s Tears was massively dark coloured, big-bodied with palate-coating, balanced flavours and a tight finish – an outstanding bigger style wine. Two amazingly different styles of wines both made in qvervi.
格魯吉亞其他薩別拉維葡萄酒——山雞之淚 2013 薩別拉維和Vinoterra 2009 薩別拉維——均采用qvervi陶罐而非傳統工藝釀造。兩款葡萄酒形成強烈的反差。Vinoterra葡萄酒精致、典雅、柔滑、酒體中等，色澤口感俱佳，回味更為細膩。而山雞之淚葡萄酒色澤深黑，酒體豐腴，口感醇厚，酒香均衡，回味緊致，是一款雄渾磅礴的精品佳釀。兩款風格不同、令人驚艷的葡萄酒均采用qvervi陶罐釀造。
The wines from the Finger Lakes
芬格湖群薩別拉維葡萄酒
The American saperavi from the Finger Lakes region of New York State were represented by:
紐約州芬格湖群美國薩別拉維葡萄酒的代表酒品：
- Dr Konstantin Frank Wines – Their 2013 wine was relatively a bit lighter in colour (still quite deep), soft on the bouquet, with great depths of flavour and backbone – a great example of cool/cold-climate saperavi.
- Dr Konstantin Frank Wines 酒莊——2013 年份葡萄酒色澤較淺（仍然很深），酒香綿柔，酒體飽滿，濃醇馥郁，是一款涼爽/寒冷型薩別拉維葡萄酒的典范。
- Standing Stone Vineyard 2012, 2013 and 2014 Saperavi – The 2012 was as one expected from such a cold climate: tight, austere, acidic and dry, but with that big, steely backbone of fruit character and gorgeous flavours just waiting to break out and pounce on one’s palate. It simply needs quite a bit of time to complete its mission. Whereas the 2013 and 2014 were progressively a tad softer and more open than their predecessor. This change, whether due to warmer growing seasons or changing winemaking technique, makes the wines more approachable in their youth. All three are great food wines now and will continue to open up over time.
- Standing Stone Vineyard 2012、2013 和 2014 薩別拉維葡萄酒——2012 年份葡萄酒帶著典型的寒冷型風格特征：緊致，緊澀，酸爽，干型。只不過仍需要歲月的沉淀，才能釋放出鋼筋般骨架的雄渾，濃郁的果香和醇厚的滋味。而與前者相比，2013 和2014 年份的葡萄酒更為柔順，更活潑、靈動。無論是生長季節較為溫暖還是釀造工藝造成的差異，這樣的演繹變化都會讓新釀葡萄酒更親近可人。目前來看，這三款葡萄酒都是珍品佳釀，并且隨著時間的推移，會更加迷人。
- McGregor Vineyards Black Russian Red 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 – This wine isn’t a straight saperavi but rather a blend of saperavi and sereksiya charni, which is the Russian name for the Romanian variety B?beasc? Neagr?, (a tongue twister either way), that is, it is a saperavi blend.
- McGregor Vineyards Black Russian Red 2007、2008、2010、2011、2012 和 2013 年份葡萄酒——她們不像是單一的薩別拉維，更像是薩別拉維和sereksiya charni混釀的葡萄酒。sereksiya charni是羅馬尼亞黑巴貝薩卡的俄文名（讀起來有些拗口）。也可以說，這是一款薩別拉維混釀葡萄酒。
Wow, what a fantastic experience to be able to look at six vintages of the same wine from over the other side of the world. Starting with the 2013 and working backwards, one could see the progression as the wine matures, with the tannins softening off and making the wine smoother and less austere.
哇，能一睹地球另一端六個年份的同款葡萄酒，這樣的經歷太美妙了。從2013 年往前，您可以一覽葡萄酒發展的整個脈絡。隨著葡萄酒的逐漸成熟，丹寧漸漸柔順，葡萄酒也更加柔和，口感也不那么緊澀了。
Their potential longevity was verified by re-trying each wine several hours after the tasting, and in every case the wines had opened up considerably more and softened off, with the 2012 especially becoming absolutely sensational.
品嘗之后過幾個小時再喝，能夠發現她們的陳年潛力。每一瓶葡萄酒醒酒之后的滋味更是美妙柔滑。尤其值得稱道的是2012款葡萄酒，絕對是卓爾不群。
The wines from the ‘new kid on the block’ – Australia
澳大利亞“新生代”葡萄酒
The cool climate saperavi consisted of:
涼爽型薩別拉維葡萄酒的代表酒品：
- Ballandean Estate 2015 Saperavi – Granite Belt. A big, flavourful, rich wine, very tight and needs plenty of time and food.
- Ballandean Estate 2015 Saperavi——格蘭納特貝爾。這是一款雄渾大氣、濃香馥郁，滋味醇厚的葡萄酒。由于酸澀度極高，需長時間陳釀，適合搭配豐盛的美食。
- Ridgemill 2014 The Csar Saperavi – Granite Belt. Slightly lighter-bodied but gorgeous, earthy beetroot aromas, well-structured with heaps of flavour and needing some time.
- Ridgemill 2014 The Csar Saperavi——格蘭納特貝爾。酒體略輕盈，但是卻帶著美妙的泥土芬芳和甜菜根香味，結構完美平衡，需要些時間進行陳年。
- King River 2014 Saperavi – King Valley. Dense colour, appealing beetroot aromas, rich flavours and also needs plenty of time.
- King River 2014 Saperavi——國王谷。色深，甜菜根香味誘人，滋味醇厚，也需要長時間的陳年。
- Ten Miles East 2015 Saperavi – Adelaide Hills. Almost black in colour, tightly structured with masses of flavour – a real keeper.
- Ten Miles East 2015 Saperavi——阿德萊得山區。色澤烏黑，結構輕盈，濃香撲鼻，是一款珍藏佳釀。
- Symphonia 2008 Saperavi – King Valley. At nine years old, it is very tight and needs more time. It still has purple hues and great flavour. One of the first Aussie saperavi and powering along!
- Symphonia 2008 Saperavi——國王谷。九年陳釀，極為緊致，需較長時間的陳年。色澤泛紫，滋味絕佳。澳洲薩別拉維的珍藏佳品，潛力無限！
Each and every one of these wines was excellent, being really deep and dark in colour, dense, tightly packed with heaps of restrained flavour just waiting to burst onto the scene as the acids and tannins subside over time. These wines require either lots of patience or to be accompanied by big flavoured rich food.
上述款款葡萄酒皆屬精品。色澤濃黑，濃香馥郁。陳年過程中隨著酸味物質和丹寧逐漸柔和，含蓄、內斂的葡萄酒才能散發出四溢酒香。如欲享用佳釀，您需要一定的耐心，要不就與豐盛的美食共飲。
The warmer climate saperavi were:
溫暖型薩別拉維葡萄酒的代表：
- Alex Russell Wines 2015 and 2016 Alejandro – Murray Darling. What a difference a year’s maturation makes. The 2015 is starting to mellow and be approachable, whereas the 2016 is still very tight and a bit agro. Both will be excellent wines a bit further down the track as they evolve.
- Alex Russell Wines 2015 和 2016 Alejandro——墨累河岸地區。一年的陳年竟有如此差異。當2015年份葡萄酒剛開始變得柔和，能夠品嘗的時候。2016年份的嘗起來仍然極為緊澀，還是葡萄的味道。隨著陳年時間的延長，兩個年份的葡萄酒都會成為絕美佳釀。
- Cirami Estate 2015 – Riverland. Light and bright (by comparison), smooth, ready to drink, with flavours of plums, cinnamon, spice and a hint of bitter chocolate. The extra warmth is reflected in lower acidity and richer riper fruit. It is a drink-now wine while your other saperavi are slowly mellowing.
- Cirami Estate 2015——沃蘭德。輕盈亮麗（比較而言），柔順，易飲，散發著李子、肉桂、香草和淡淡的苦巧克力味道。另外的亮點是酸度較低、果味更豐厚成熟。當其他薩別拉維仍需漫長的時間進行陳年時，這款葡萄酒便可以即刻飲用。
- Lino Ramble 2016 Simon Says – McLaren Vale. Bright purple, big young aromas and so tight. It is too young now but will grow up nicely.
- Lino Ramble 2016 Simon Says——麥克拉倫谷。亮紫色、酒香濃郁活潑，口感緊致。目前屬于新釀階段，尚需時日才能演繹出誘人魅力。
- Hugh Hamilton 2014 Oddball – McLaren Vale. Very deep in colour, rhubarb aromas with rich flavours. This will be an excellent wine in time as it softens off but patience is needed.
- Hugh Hamilton 2014 Oddball——麥克拉倫谷。色澤極深，大黃香味濃郁，酒香四溢。待到陳年后，方能釀造出絕佳美酒。
- Dell’uva 2013 and 2012 – Barossa. Supercharged! Almost black, rich, luscious, powerful, seamless, just needs a little time to soften off a bit more. Will soon become a classic, warmer climate style saperavi.
- Dell’uva 2013 and 2012——巴羅薩谷。勁爆無限！烏黑，馥郁、豐美、強勁、美妙絕倫，只需略加時日，酒漿會更加柔和。不用多久，便可釀成經典溫暖型薩別拉維葡萄酒。
- Patritti Wines 2007 to 2015 – Barossa. Wow, what a vinous adventure, tasting every vintage that they have made and seeing the wines change as both the vines mature and their style evolves over time. The first two vintages, although good wines, were atypical of the style that they have since created, probably part of the process of coming to grips with the variety. Over the years, as the vines have matured, their own style has developed to the extent that the pre-release 2014 and 2015 vintages are amazing wines. They have masses of deep, dense colour that is almost black, attractive earthy, beetroot aromas and uber-tight, restrained flavours that tantalise the palate with what will be when these wines are mature enough to open up and truly blossom. I think they will be world-class wines easily outshining the 2011 vintage, which won a gold medal in the Royal Sydney Wine Show a few years ago.
- Patritti Wines 2007 to 2015——巴羅薩谷。令人驚艷，多么美妙的葡萄酒體驗，品嘗每一款年份葡萄酒，欣賞體會葡萄酒漿緩慢幻化成絕美佳釀。前兩個年份的葡萄酒，雖屬精品，但卻是這一風格的異類。可能是因為部分工藝操之過急的原因。我以為這種世界級的葡萄酒很容易蓋過2011年份的風頭，而后者幾年前還在皇家悉尼葡萄酒展（Royal Sydney Wine Show）上拿到過金獎。
To sum up, saperavi is a little known, ancient yet innovative variety that produces sensational big wines with heaps of dark, dense colour, generally soft gentle aromatics and metric tonnes of flavour and tannins. In general, it is by no means a drink-now variety as the tonnes of tannins need time to soften off and allow the fruit to shine through. It is truly a keeper, as the occasional 50 year old wines opened in Georgia and other former Soviet Bloc countries prove.
總而言之，薩別拉維是鮮有人知、歷史悠久卻富有活力的葡萄品種。薩別拉維葡萄酒雄渾大氣、令人驚訝，酒色烏黑，酒香柔和，酒香淡雅別致，滋味醇厚并帶有丹寧的緊澀。一般來說，它不是即飲的品種，濃濃的丹寧味需要時光的沉淀才能煥發出迷人魅力。偶有格魯吉亞和其他前蘇聯國家窖藏五十多年的葡萄酒開瓶慶祝的新聞見諸報端，也佐證珍藏佳釀之譽當屬實至名歸。
Saperavi makes lovely, big and highly desirable wines from warm as well as cold regions. Yes, the wines from these two climates are quite different in style, but the basic elements, structure and core flavours of the wines are consistently the same. So, if you are looking for a big wine to enjoy with a big, rich meal or even to tuck away for a while in the cellar, please consider a saperavi the sensational, you won’t be disappointed by this wonderful, innovative grape variety.
薩別拉維無論生長在溫暖還是寒冷地區，都能夠釀造出清新可人、高端大氣、頗受追捧的葡萄酒。的確，兩種氣候條件下釀造的葡萄酒風格差別極大，但是葡萄酒的基本元素、酒體結構和核心風味卻并無二致。因此，如果您正在尋覓一款高端的葡萄酒來搭配豐盛的宴會，抑或是躲在酒窖一醉消愁的話，您可以嘗一嘗令人驚艷的薩別拉維葡萄酒。她的美妙迷人與非比尋常定不會讓您失望。
Dan Traucki is a wine journalist and a wine industry consultant specialising in assisting with exports to Asian markets
丹·卓科里是亞洲葡萄酒出口市場推廣的專業顧問兼葡萄酒記者。
