diff --git a/pungi/phases/gather/__init__.py b/pungi/phases/gather/__init__.py
index 58f5919f..3a6a3992 100644
--- a/pungi/phases/gather/__init__.py
+++ b/pungi/phases/gather/__init__.py
@@ -79,10 +79,13 @@ class GatherPhase(PhaseBase):
 
         # check whether variants from configuration value 'variant_as_lookaside' are correct
         variant_as_lookaside = self.compose.conf.get("variant_as_lookaside", [])
-        for variant_pair in variant_as_lookaside:
-            for variant_uid in variant_pair:
-                if variant_uid not in self.compose.all_variants:
-                    errors.append("Variant uid '%s' does't exists in 'variant_as_lookaside'" % variant_uid)
+        all_variants = self.compose.all_variants
+        for (requiring, required) in variant_as_lookaside:
+            if requiring in all_variants and required not in all_variants:
+                errors.append(
+                    "variant_as_lookaside: variant %r doesn't exist but is required by %r"
+                    % (required, requiring)
+                )
 
         if errors:
             raise ValueError('\n'.join(errors))
diff --git a/tests/test_gather_phase.py b/tests/test_gather_phase.py
index 122e30ca..e7c3c0b0 100644
--- a/tests/test_gather_phase.py
+++ b/tests/test_gather_phase.py
@@ -879,6 +879,33 @@ class TestGatherPhase(helpers.PungiTestCase):
         with open(rpms_file) as fh:
             self.assertEqual(fh.read(), "hello")
 
+    def test_validates_wrong_requiring_variant(self):
+        pkgset_phase = mock.Mock()
+        compose = helpers.DummyCompose(
+            self.topdir, {"variant_as_lookaside": [("foo", "Server")]}
+        )
+        phase = gather.GatherPhase(compose, pkgset_phase)
+        phase.validate()
+
+    def test_validates_wrong_required_variant(self):
+        pkgset_phase = mock.Mock()
+        compose = helpers.DummyCompose(
+            self.topdir, {"variant_as_lookaside": [("Server", "foo")]}
+        )
+        phase = gather.GatherPhase(compose, pkgset_phase)
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ctx:
+            phase.validate()
+
+        self.assertIn("'foo' doesn't exist", str(ctx.exception))
+
+    def test_validates_both_requires_missing(self):
+        pkgset_phase = mock.Mock()
+        compose = helpers.DummyCompose(
+            self.topdir, {"variant_as_lookaside": [("foo", "bar")]}
+        )
+        phase = gather.GatherPhase(compose, pkgset_phase)
+        phase.validate()
+
 
 class TestGetPackagesToGather(helpers.PungiTestCase):
     def setUp(self):