Visiting Georgia’s Wine Regions: Kakheti and Kartli

Georgia is rightfully proud of the fact that each of its regions is actually a winegrowing region. From the Black Sea coast to the dry, arid lands in the east of the Kakheti region, grapevines are living their best life (eventually making the growers do some more work in some high-altitude, windy and cool places like Meskheti in the very south).

We at Georgian Wine UK have already covered some of the Georgian wine regions and described the major PDO wines you can see on the UK shelves. This guide is both for those curious about styles you can find in each wine region of Georgia, and for those interested in visiting this fascinating country and discovering its wines first-hand. We are going to start with the eastern part of Georgia: Kakheti, Shida Kartli and Kvemo Kartli. Let’s go!

General travel advice

Georgia remains a safe country to visit. Avoiding the poorly lit backstreets at night, double checking the prices when in touristic places, ordering taxis via Bolt app and not catching them on the street are the basic rules of staying away from trouble.

Also the local driving style is quite remarkably chaotic, so be careful once crossing the street, and better hire a driver via GoTrip.ge or similar, if you want to travel to the regions. Driving yourself seems a risky business, taking into consideration that wineries rarely offer spittoons, and rather large tasting portions are a very common thing. Getting a car with a driver actually makes much more sense for a private wine tour.

Public transport outside of Tbilisi and Batumi is not easy to catch. The trains connect the capital with Kutaisi and Batumi, but unfortunately, there is no train to Kakheti.

Big cities and towns have 24/7 pharmacies and supermarkets, so if you have a headache after a lot of wine, it’s easy to get an over-the-counter medicine or a big bottle of sparkling mineral water, another Georgian specialty.

A big amount of wineries, especially the small ones, are NOT located amidst the vineyards. In the post-Soviet era, when people got the right to own property, they were buying out the lands and vineyards and made wine either at home-based cellars, according to the local traditions. Homes were located in the villages and towns, and the vineyards were outside. The new large producers do have their vines growing around their production area, but such wineries often host only corporate or professional groups.

A fun option to explore Georgian wine without traveling to the regions is coming to Georgia in early May. In 2025, there are at least 5 events squeezed into the first weeks: Wine Ambassadors Festival, Zero Compromise Natural Wine Fair, Saamuri Natural Wine Salon, Sherekilebi (that requires brief traveling), and New Wine Festival. WinExpo Georgia is happening in early June and also gives a chance to taste a lot of wines from big and small producers from all around the country.

The last but not the least – don’t plan your itinerary fully relying on Google maps. First of all, sometimes it overappreciates the quality of the countryside roads. Also, it underestimates the genuine Georgian hospitality. Some tastings are planned to last one hour and end in three. Better leave some air in your itinerary: more than three wineries a day is too ambitious, even if they are located a stone’s throw away from each other.

Alright, let’s delve into the regional specifics! 

Kakheti

Kakheti is the biggest wine region of Georgia, where around 73% of vineyards are located, producing around ¾ of the national grape crop. It is the main travel destination for wine lovers and curious tourists alike due to dozens of wineries ready to host guests, and the region’s relative proximity to the capital, Tbilisi. 

Kakheti’s main towns are Telavi, Kvareli and Sighnaghi. They are conveniently located in two important growing zones – Inner Kakheti and Kiziki.

Inner Kakheti is shaped by the Greater Caucasus Mountains and Tsiv-Gombori mountain range, as well as the Alazani River and its tributaries. Telavi and Kvareli towns are sitting on the Left and Right banks of the Alazani correspondingly.

Generally, this area produces a lot of styles, from crisp white wines (Tsinandali being the most prominent one) and easy-going sparklings often based on more aromatic grapes such as Kisi and Kakhuri Mtsvane. If you want to stay overnight and taste more of the Right Bank of Alazani, Telavi as well as Kisiskhevi and Tsinandali villages offer an array of wineries to visit and accommodation options, including the fantastic Tsinandali Estate.

A fun local fact: the technology of making amber wine in the clay vessels called Qvevri, with prolonged skin contact, is often referred to as “Kakhetian style”! Inner Kakheti producers specialise in medium to full-bodied amber wines made of Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Kisi and Khikhvi grapes.

99% of reds and rosé are Saperavi-based. They can be made in Qvevri or stainless steel. Some age-worthy, full-bodied wines, such as Mukuzani (one of the most popular PDOs), can be aged in oak. Kvareli is another example of finer oak-aged Saperavi.

Kvareli town is also a home to several large producers of Kindzmarauli, red semi-sweet wine. One can easily visit Corporation Kindzmarauli, one of these wineries. They offer walk-in tours and tastings.

There are also many types of accommodation on the Left Bank of Alazani, from guesthouses and cute cottages, to posh lakeside hotels with their vineyards.

Kiziki is a historic area in the very east, with hilly, dry terrain. The most famous PDO wine there is Tibaani – amber wine made in Qvevri from Rkatsiteli grapes with up to 15% of Kakhuri Mtsvane or Khikhvi. Wine tastings are easy to organise in Sighnaghi town – the places like Okro’s Wine, Pheasant’s Tears and Kerovani Winery are offering walk-in tastings and lovely seasonal meals.

The main Kakhetian road is going through Outer Kakheti. This area is a bit cooler than Inner Kakheti, with the best vineyards located on the foothills of Tsiv-Gombori range. The main wine village here is Manavi, producing eponymous classic white wines, as well as some structured, lean amber wines. One of the interesting wineries to visit in the area is Giuaani – their whites, ambers and reds are also available in the UK!

Shida Kartli (Inner Kartli)

Probably the easiest wine region to get to from Tbilisi, Shida Kartli is a home to elegant still and sparkling white wines made of Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane grapes, as well as juicy reds from Tavkveri and Shavkapito. Those varieties are less tannic and bold compared to Saperavi, so if you are a fan of medium-bodied, red fruit dominated reds with high acidity, or juice dry rosé, this region might become your favourite.

Mukhrani Valley is one of the main winegrowing areas of Shida Kartli, with hot sunny days and cool nights. It is a home of famous producers such as Chateau Mukhrani, natural winemaking legends such as Iago Bitarishvili, and several emerging medium-sized wineries such as Nichateau, Villa Mosavali and Crush 525.

Lamiskana and Okami are another important winegrowing places, where some of the sparkling wineproducers source their grapes. The traditional method sparklings and pet-nats of a small Georgian-French winery Ori Marani are available in the UK, and generally, this winery run by a Champagne native Bastien Warskotte is a lot of fun to visit for the nerdy wine lovers.

Ateni Gorge was a birthplace of Georgian sparkling in the Middle Ages. However, right now only one producer is making spakling Atenuri wine, while several other small wineries bottle their still Atenuri based on Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane blend. 

You can visit several small wineries in the gorge, make a stop at a scenic VII-century Atenis Sioni monastery, where vineyards are cultivated on the terraces, and spend a night in one of the guesthouses, where the locals will treat you with their wines and incredible homemade food.

Kvemo Kartli (Lower Kartli)

The funny thing about Kvemo Kartli is that it’s one of the emerging winemaking regions of Georgia, where new wineries appear on the map every year, but at the same time, this is the very region where the world’s oldest cultural grape pips and winemaking vessels were discovered.

There was also an interesting period in Kvemo Kartli’s history, when German settlers were making wine using their native practices, employing oak vessels instead of Qvevri. The center of this was Bolnisi town, known as Katharinenfeld back then.

The Germans’ story abruptly ended in 1941, and after that, the collective economy was heavily focused on different cultures. The hiatus was way too long! Now the winemaking is literally booming, championed by the winemakers’ union of Bolnisi. 

The main wine styles here are medium and full-bodied ambers from Rkatsiteli, Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane, and reds from Saperavi, Shavkapito, Tavkveri and Asuretuli Shavi. The last one is a true local specialty, very recommended to taste!

As Bolnisi is only one hour drive away from Tbilisi, we definitely recommend you to undertake a day trip and visit the local museum, the Georgian-German house, and a couple of wineries – for example, Barbale and Brother’s Cellar are offering winery tours and tastings. There are not too many opportunities to visit the vineyards, as all the wineries are located in the center of Bolnisi, but it’s possible to arrange a vineyard walk with a winemaker by asking them about it in advance.

Another interesting place in Kvemo Kartli is Kiketi. Being basically Tbilisi’s summertime outlet, this village is home to three natural wineries — Gotsa’s Wines, Tanini and Kiketi Farm Wine. They’ve also been hosting the Kiketi Wine Festival in late summer, so if you’re traveling to Georgia in August, check this out.

This was a very brief overview of Georgia’s eastern wine regions. Stay tuned for the article about the ones in the west—it’s going to be a very different terrain and style, but the same level of warmth and hospitality!