Visiting Georgia's Wine Regions: Imereti, Racha and more

Georgian Wine UK is taking you on another (virtual) journey around Georgia’s wine regions. In the previous article, we talked about the major growing areas of the eastern part - Kakheti, Shida Kartli, and Kvemo Kartli. Now, let’s go West!

A Short Geography Lesson

Many of you know that Georgia is blessed to be shielded from northern winds by the gorgeous and mighty Greater Caucasus Mountains. Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south of the country are less known (is it in the name?..), and plenty of minor ranges crisscrossing Georgia are obscure to the general public. However, they do matter when it comes to grape growing and travel arrangements!

For example, the Likhi Range in the middle of the country is trapping the air masses coming from the Black Sea, making the climate of Western Georgia noticeably more humid. You can imagine that the biggest headache the local growers have is fungal diseases and rot, as well as their prevention! Unfortunately, the locations where rot gets noble are yet to be discovered.

Talking about travelling through the road crossing the Likhi Range (from Tbilisi to Imereti and further), we should mention that in the winter months, some parts of it can be blocked by heavy snow. Also, during the Easter Holidays, even the widest parts of the highway are stuck in traffic, as this is the time when people visit their relatives all around the country. Therefore, if you are planning to travel around Georgia around the Eastern Orthodox Easter time, make sure you depart early.

Now, let’s see what each region has to offer!

Imereti

Imereti region is lush, green, and hilly. Every garden in the countryside boasts not only pergolas with grapevines but also kiwis, palms, banana trees, and occasional tea bushes. The main city in the region is Kutaisi, where travelers can find a variety of options to spend a night and eat well. Also it has an international airport, connecting Imereti with many cities in Europe.

As for the winery visits, Terjola, Obcha, and Baghdati are the real hotspots. There are plenty of small wineries ready to host you, including internationally famous natural wine stars: Baia’s Wine, Gaioz Sopromadze, Gogita Makaridze, Ramaz Nikoladze, Archil Guniava and Vintners and Vagabonds project established by an Englishman Aidan Raftery and his Georgian wife Elene.

There are emerging medium-sized wineries with fantastic hospitality, such as Chateau Labara or Chateau Vartiskhe, and large wineries, such as Khareba, where visit arrangements are possible. Otherwise, the leading big producers buy grapes from the Imeretian growers or harvest them from their own vineyards, but the facilities are closer to Tbilisi.

The most popular varieties here are the following: Tsitska, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna (whites), and Aladasturi, Dzelshavi, and Otskhanuri Sapere (reds). Some forgotten varieties such as Mgaloblishvili or Kapistoni, and lesser-known clones of widespread grapes such as Melqo Tsolikouri are also cultivated by the new wave of vintners.

What kinds of styles are produced in Imereti? The traditional local way of making wine is fermenting white grapes in Qvevri (the local version of the clay vessel is called Churi) with up to 30% of the skins. The result is light, fresh wine on the edge of full-bodied, darker-coloured white and very light amber.

The modern whites are also crisp, with high acidity and medium body. The blend of Tsitska, Tsolikouri and Krakhuna is quite popular, as each grape contributes the best of it: acidity, body and intense fruitiness. If grapes are sourced from the surroundings of Sviri village, the blend can be labeled as Sviri PDO.

Tsitska grape has been used for making sparkling wine since the Soviet industrialization times, or even earlier. Nowadays, it is often used as a base for pet-nats by small wineries or a part of sparkling blends by larger companies.

As for reds, Aladasturi and Dzelshavi are on the fresher side, lately being vinified as rosé or “summer reds”. Otskhanuri Sapere is tannic and acidic, when young, so ageing suits it really well, making the rich flavours of pomegranate and dark berries broader and much more approachable.

Racha-Lechkhumi

Once in Kutaisi, you can see Greater Caucasus looming on the horizon. However, in order to get closer, the winding roads in the smaller mountains of Racha and Lechkhumi need to be covered.

On your way to Lechkhumi, you will see impressive limestone rocks, that shape the landscape around the steep vineyards of Tvishi and Okureshis Usakhelouri PDOs.

Dry Tsolikouri from here is distinctively mineral and a touch salty. However, Tvishi PDO wine is a Tsolikouri-based white semi-sweet. Fragrant and light, it is a great friend of the local cuisine and spicy pan-Asian dishes alike. Take a look at Tvishi wines available in the UK!

Okureshis Usakhelouri is a red semi-sweet, lively, full of fresh red fruits and ripe red plums, with velvety tannins and moderate levels of alcohol. Due to the very modest amount of these grapes available, the wine is usually expensive.

The large-scale wineries own vineyards in Tvishi and Okureshi, and make their wine elsewhere, so there is not even one sizeable winery to visit. Lechkhumi wine tourism is still emerging, so usually wine enthusiasts visit several small growers that can host a tasting, such as Miranda Chkhetiani, and continue to Racha, which is a picturesque area a couple of ridges away.

In Racha, Ambrolauri, Sadmeli and Khvanchkara are the region’s main wine villages - they are surrounded by vineyards and every guesthouse, glamping or hotel would offer you their house wine. There are no big hotels, no chains, and not many sizeable wineries either. Royal Khvanchkara and Naberauli are the largest ones that have their production facilities in the region.

Khvanchkara PDO wines, red semi-sweet made of Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli grapes, are imported to the UK by multiple companies. A good-quality Khvanchkara is full of sour cherries, blackberries, plum, cinnamon and delicate violet aromas. While the locals pair it with savoury dishes including bean stew and ham, a glass of chilled Khvanchkara can also be a wonderful dessert per se.

Some wineries make dry red wines from Aleksandrouli that are quite powerful and fruity. The whites such as Tsolikouri, Rachuli Mtsvane and Tsulukidze’s Tetra are also finding their way to the market - they are usually medium-bodied, balancing between fruity and savoury, with moderate to high acidity.

Georgian Ecotourism Association made a list of wineries that can be visited in Racha and Lechkhumi, which can be a useful reference for those of you wishing to experience the local hospitality personally.

Samegrelo

Samegrelo has a huge potential as a wine tourism destination. Rare local varieties, fantastic cuisine that is a touch spicier than regular Georgian fare; canyons, lakes, vineyards, seaside; history of winemaking related to Napoleon’s relative - what a mix!

Alas, so far only several small growers like Oda Winery are working hard to help those old varieties return to the market, experimenting with them, seeing what works better, hosting international tourists to showcase the region’s beauty, and spreading the word about those wines.

Nevertheless, Samegrelo has its champion variety - Ojaleshi the Tree Climber. Lean, acidic, with ripe blackberry and pomegranate flavours and a hint of smoke, it can be vinified as dry and semi-sweet wine. Some examples of it can be found in the UK. 

There is a Salkhinos Ojaleshi PDO, but not many producers are using this name just yet.

Guria and Ajara

These seaside regions are humid and quite rainy, so precise vineyard site selection with good drainage and long sun exposure is crucial for creating quality wine. Tsolikouri grape is the queen of whites here, while the king is the pink-skinned Chkhaveri that can become a dark, tangy rose or light, smoky red.

Rare varieties such as Sakmiela, Jani, Skhilatubani, Mtevandidi are cultivated by enthusiasts, most of whom haven’t made it to the international stage yet. 

There are no really big players from these regions on the market yet, except for Chateau Askana run by the Georgian giant KTW, which is a hommage to founders’ ancestors who hailed from the Gurian village of Askana.

Several small growers working in a low-intervention style, such as Zurab Topuridze (Iberieli) and Dato Kobidze (Kobidzeebis Marani) successfully sell their wines abroad, host visitors and carry the flag of the Gurian winemaking with pride.

Similar success stories from Ajara are yet to come, but visiting the mountainous part of it and tasting local wine and food is always a good option if you are there in late spring, summer, or early autumn.

Meskheti

Located in the very south of Georgia, between Ajara and Kvemo Kartli, Meskheti is a historical name of the area that now carries the long official name of Samtskhe-Javakheti.

The local winemakers who are not many at all, refer to themselves as Meskhetians, and some of the varieties such as Meskhuri Mtsvane, keep the old toponym in their name. At least it’s also easier for us to pronounce!

In the Middle Ages, the locals were growing their grapes and other crops on the terraces, as they lived compactly and under constant danger of invasions. Now, this tradition is slowly revived at this vast volcanic plateau, where winters are bitterly cold and summers are scorching hot.

In the times of Ottoman control, the grapevines were replanted from terraces into the forests, as growing grapes and making wine was forbidden. After more than 300 years, these semi-feral varieties are making a comeback. 

The most prominent name in Meskhetian wine is Giorgi Natenadze, a young local who foraged ancient grapes in the forest and experimented with them in his cellar. Now a successful low-intervention winemaker and a true ambassador of the region, he keeps exploring the possibilities of the varieties that were forgotten and sells his wine in several countries of Europe and beyond.

The best time for visiting this region is late spring through mid-autumn. It is easy to reach by car either via the main highway connecting East and West, or via the southern road passing the picturesque Tsalka and Paravani Lakes. Visit the medieval cave city and monastery of Vardzia, do sightseeing in the Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Fortress and Museum, and taste Natenadze’s wines together with awesome local specialties in his restaurant just next to the fortress. 

We hope this little wine guide was useful. Please let us know what else would you like to know about Georgia’s wine regions, and follow Sarah Abbott MW and her info tours to Georgia in June and October 2025 - they are always very inspiring!