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Pheasant's Tears

Pheasant's Tears Khikhvi Orange 2024

Price: $30.00
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Tasting notes

Deep amber-gold with copper highlights. The nose reveals dried apricot, orange peel, wild herbs, crushed flowers, and hints of beeswax. On the palate, extended skin contact delivers gentle tannins and a textured mouthfeel. Vibrant acidity balances the richness, while a deep mineral core carries through to a long, earthy finish.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
  • Grape: 100% Khikhvi, a rare indigenous Georgian variety from organic vineyards in Tibaani
  • Terroir: Sandstone and quartz soils in Kakheti, eastern Georgia
  • Winemaking: Six months skin maceration plus one year aging in traditional buried qvevri
  • Serving: 54-57°F; decant briefly to let aromatics open
  • Pairing: Khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread)
  • Similar to: Friulian skin-contact wines or other Georgian amber wines, but with the distinctive aromatic lift and textural complexity that Khikhvi brings

Pheasant's Tears Khikhvi 2024 showcases one of Georgia's rarest indigenous grape varieties, grown organically in the village of Tibaani in the Kakheti region. The vineyards sit on sandstone and quartz soils. John Wurdeman and Gela Patalishvili founded Pheasant's Tears in 2007 with a focus on reviving near-extinct Georgian varieties using traditional methods. For this wine, whole bunches macerate on skins for six months in qvevri—the clay amphorae buried underground that Georgians have used for 8,000 years. Pheasant's Tears Khikhvi 2024 ages an additional year in qvevri before bottling unfiltered and unfined.

Khachapuri, roasted lamb, aged cheeses, walnut-stuffed eggplant, grilled vegetables, saffron rice, tagine, mushroom dishes, spiced lentils.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Khikhvi
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2024
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Georgia
Region:, Kakheti
Appellation:, NA
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Pheasant's Tears

John Wurdeman, an American artist from Virginia, first visited Georgia in 1995 while studying at Moscow's Surikov Art Institute. Drawn by traditional Georgian polyphonic music, he returned the following year to explore harvest traditions through his painting. A visit to the village of Sighnaghi in Kakheti convinced him to stay. Within weeks, he purchased a house overlooking the Alazani Valley.

Wurdeman met Gela Patalishvili, a local farmer and traditional winemaker, through his second wife Ketevan Mindorashvili, a specialist in Georgian folk music. The two founded Pheasant's Tears in 2007. The winery's name references a Georgian folk tale: only a truly remarkable wine could move a pheasant to tears of joy.

Pheasant's Tears focuses on tracking down and reviving near-extinct indigenous grape varieties from across Georgia, which is home to over 500 native cultivars. The winery grows Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Kisi, Khikhvi, Mtsvane, and many others on organic vineyards in Kakheti's Sighnaghi region. One bottling, Poliphonia, contains a field blend of 417 different varieties that Pheasant's Tears helps preserve from extinction.

All wines ferment and age in qvevri, the traditional clay amphorae buried underground that Georgians have used for 8,000 years. Extended skin maceration—often lasting months—produces the amber-colored wines that define Georgian winemaking. Wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal intervention.

Wurdeman's influence extends beyond the winery. He founded Vino Underground, Tbilisi's first natural wine bar, in 2010 and helped establish Georgia's Natural Wine Association. His work has been instrumental in bringing global attention to Georgian wine traditions.

Discover Pheasant's Tears wines and explore Georgian natural wines from Kakheti. Browse Primal Wine's best-sellers for popular selections from Georgia and beyond.

Wine region

Kakheti, Georgia

Kakheti lies in eastern Georgia, cradled between the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the north and the Alazani Valley below. This region accounts for roughly 70% of Georgia's vineyard area and stands at the heart of what many consider the birthplace of wine—archaeological evidence dates Georgian winemaking back 8,000 years.

The climate in Kakheti is continental with moderate humidity. The Caucasus Mountains shield vineyards from cold northern winds while the Alazani River moderates temperatures. Summers are warm and dry, allowing grapes to ripen fully while retaining acidity. Harvest typically runs from September through October.

Soils vary across the region but commonly include alluvial deposits in the valley floor, limestone in elevated areas, and the sandstone and quartz combinations found around the village of Tibaani. These mineral-rich soils contribute to the distinctive character of Kakheti wines.

Georgia is home to over 500 indigenous grape varieties, and Kakheti grows many of the most important. Rkatsiteli dominates white plantings—it is one of the world's oldest cultivated vines. Saperavi, a dark-skinned teinturier grape, produces Georgia's most celebrated reds. Rarer varieties like Khikhvi, Kisi, and Mtsvane thrive in specific villages where producers work to preserve these near-extinct cultivars.

The qvevri defines Kakheti winemaking. These large clay vessels, buried underground to maintain stable temperatures, have been used for millennia. White grapes ferment and age on their skins for months in qvevri, producing the amber wines Georgia is famous for. UNESCO recognized the qvevri winemaking method as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.

Discover Georgian natural wines including qvevri-aged amber wines from Kakheti's leading producers. Explore orange wines from Georgia and beyond, or browse Primal Wine's best-sellers for popular natural wine selections.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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