Climate and geography: Kakheti

Kakheti, which has always been the most important wine region in the country, is home to almost 70% of Georgia’s vineyard, produces about 80% of its wine, and comprises the richest agricultural land in the south east of the country in the Alazani and Iori Valleys. The climate here is moderate, in parts subtropical, with an active temperature summation of 3,800 to 4,000 °C/6,800 to 7,200 °F and an annual rainfall of 400 to 800 mm (32 in). Cinnamonic forest soils (reddish with high mineral content and enriched with clay) and calcareous soils, some of them alluvial, are found in the region.