Wineries and Chateau of Georgia

Georgia is the oldest wine-producing country in the world. Here, the process of making a drink has at least 8 thousand years. The Georgian traditional wine-making process differs from the usual one, because the wine is aged in Kvevri clay jars.

The modern wine culture in Georgia was founded by the famous Georgian politician and cultural figure Alexander Chavchavadze. At his estate in Zegaani in the early 19th century, he combined the ancient Georgian culture and new European experience in wine production. Today, the country has created and actively operates many wine companies and Chateaux that offer more than 100 types of wine on the local market and import, and offer tours and tastings on the spot.

Chateau Mukhrani

Located near Тbilisi, Chateau Mukhrani is a fascinating place to visit if you are a wine lover. The magnificent white castle, built in 1885, wine cellars, beautiful gardens and sprawling vineyards are waiting for you here. In addition, you can learn more about the history of the Georgian Royal family and its estate, learn the secrets of Georgian wine making and try a range of their wines during the tour. If you are hungry, the restaurant offers a wide selection of local dishes.

Chateau Lilo

The Chateau is located in Тbilisi, but the wine production itself takes place in Kakheti. This small family company has been around for two centuries. Its principle is to carefully control the grapes even when the bunches are maturing, using only natural fertilizers. Wine production takes place only in the traditional way in clay Kvevri. Chateau Lilo specializes in Rkatsiteli and Saperavi varieties. Winemakers experiment a lot, their wines often receive the highest awards.

Tiflis wine cellar

This is a fairly young enterprise in Тbilisi, but nevertheless it has become today one of the largest wineries in the country. It produces up to 1.5 million liters of wine per year. Despite the fact that the production is set up for automatic operation, it produces very delicious wines, some of the best in Georgia. The most popular are Kindzmarauli, Khvanchkara, Saperavi.

The winery Georgian

This young Georgian company ( Тbilisi) has managed to create its own style in wine production in just ten years. A beautiful bouquet of wines Kindzmarauli, Rkatseteli, Pirosmani, Mukuzani, Alaznis Veli will not leave indifferent the connoisseur of this beautiful drink.

Winery ” Chateau-Zegaani»

The winery is located in the former estate of the famous Georgian political and cultural figure Alexander Chavchavadze at the beginning of the XIX century in the village of Zegaani in Каkheti region. At the end of the XIX century, due to family difficulties, the estate passed to Alexander III, but wine production there continued until 1922. Chateau Zegaani was revived in 1998, when the estate was purchased by the Tatulashvili family. Here visitors are invited to plunge into the history of Georgia and taste excellent local wine.

Winery ” Tears Of The Pheasant»

It is a joint Georgian-American enterprise located in the city of Sighnaghi in Каkheti region. It produces wine without preservatives, using the traditional method-in the dug-in Kvevri. The winery offers wine tasting and traditional Georgian dishes prepared with organic, fresh local products.

Chateau Mere

Chateau Mere is located in Каkheti region in the village of Vardisubani near Telavi. It produces wines of the Winiveria brand, which are widely available in Tbilisi and the rest of the country. You can come here for a wine tasting to learn more about how to make wine with European and traditional methods, or even stay for a night or two at their hotel to admire the Alazani valley. In addition to regular tours, Chateau Mer offers some additional services, such as making churchkhela, cooking classes, cooking khinkali, distilling chacha and horse riding.

Chateau Shuhman

Shukhman castle is located in Kisishevi, Каkheti region , and in addition to a wine cellar, it has a large complex consisting of a hotel, restaurants, vineyards and a wine Spa with views of the snow-capped Caucasus mountains. If you don’t want to stay at the castle, you can still come here to try the company’s wines, as well as local traditional dishes in restaurants, walk through the vineyards and just have a nice day. The site offers five packages of wine tasting at different prices. The smallest package includes three types of wine at 15 lari (about 7 dollars) per person.

The Palace Of Alexander Chavchavadze

His Palace and gardens in Tsinandali ( Каkheti region) are a beautiful Museum complex. But not only – there is also a wine cellar, which was created by Chavchavadze himself. You can take a tour of the Palace, admire the garden and taste the excellent wines from the estate.

Telavi wine cellar

The wine cellar is located near Telavi, the main city of Каkheti region. The company has a long tradition of production, because it was established in 1915. Here, the methods of Georgian wine-making are combined with French ones – the wines are infused not in Kvevri, but in oak barrels. The factory produces the favorite Georgian wine varieties Tsinandali, Vazisubani, Akhasheni and Kindzmarauli.

You can get to the wine tasting every day from 10: 00 to 16: 00. The tour lasts about 1.3-2 hours and shows you the way of the grapes from the vineyard to the cellar, and then to the finished product. You will have the opportunity to see the process of winemaking, fermentation and aging in barrels. After the tour, you will be able to taste seven different wines of the company, which will be accompanied by traditional cheese, mineral water and bread. The company also offers a small tour that lasts 60-80 minutes, but shows you everything that a longer tour does. The only difference here is that during the tasting after the visit, you will be offered four different wines.

Hareba Winery

Kvareli, located in the Каkheti region, has a unique Kvareli tunnel wine cellar of the Khareba winery, located in the Caucasus mountains. The tunnel was originally opened in 1962 for the world Congress of grapes and wine, but today it is the company’s cellar.

The mine consists of two main entrances that are connected to 500 meters of additional 13 tunnels. The total length of the structure is 7.7 kilometers, and each entry has its own purpose: one for tourism, and the other for industrial use. The winery uses Georgian traditions and Italian equipment. Here you can see the storage of 25,000 wines produced by the company.

Graneli Winery

This winery is also called “Kinzmarauli Zone”. It is located near the famous Karelian tunnel in Kvareli (Каkheti region). It produces not only wine, but also two varieties of cognac – Tbileli and Colchis. The peculiarity of this plant is that wines and cognacs can only be purchased on the territory of the plant, all products are then sent for export. When you arrive in Graneli, you can take part in a free tour of the workshop, and then taste 10 different varieties of wine for a small fee.

Kindzmarauli Corporation

This fairly large factory in Kvareli in the Каkheti region produces the famous semi-sweet wine Kindzmarauli. The company is open to visitors, you can take a tour of the production, visit the Museum, visit the restaurant and tasting room. By the way, you can try several varieties of wine here for free.

Vita Venera Winery

Vita Vinea wines come from a small family-owned winery located in the village of Shalauri, near Telavi in the Каkheti region. The Dakishvili family has been producing wine and growing grapes for almost ten decades. The variety of their products includes Rkatsiteli, Saperavi and Brushes from grapes that grow in their vineyards. You can’t find their wines in regular supermarkets or stores, as they distribute their products directly to some of the best Georgian restaurants and wine stores. You can visit their winery by appointment. The family will be happy to offer you a tasting of old and new wines from their cellar.

The Сellar Twins

The cellar called Twins , located in the village of Napareuli in Каkheti region, offers its visitors a wide range of activities. Brothers Gia and Gela Gamtkitsulashvili are responsible for the winery and in 2014 created a unique Museum of Kvevri wine in their complex. Here you can see and learn more about the wine-making process in these clay jars, view archive photos, see the 15-year-old collection of Twins wineries and get information about Georgian grape varieties. In addition to wine tasting and tours, you can participate in the harvest process if you happen to visit Georgia in the fall.