Georgia Drink Guide
Eight thousand years of wine, qvevri clay cellars sunk into the Caucasus earth, amber Rkatsiteli, inky Saperavi — and chacha to close every feast. Welcome to where wine began.
Wine wasn't invented in France or Italy or ancient Greece. The oldest evidence of wine production on earth — 8,000 years old — comes from a village in the Alazani Valley in eastern Georgia. The vessels used then were clay, buried in the earth. The vessels used today are clay, buried in the earth. Very little has changed.
Kakheti, Georgia's eastern wine heartland, produces some 70% of the country's wine — from the broad flat plains where Rkatsiteli ripens to pale gold, to the hillside slopes where Saperavi turns the soil dark with its colour. But the real story of Georgian wine isn't in the varieties — it's in the qvevri: the clay amphora, often as large as a bathtub, sunk into the earth of the cellar, where grapes ferment with their skins for months, producing the amber wines that have captivated winemakers from New York to Tokyo.
And alongside the wine, there's chacha — the grape marc spirit that arrives at the end of every supra feast, poured without ceremony by a host who insists you drink three glasses. Here are the wineries, the bars, and the distilleries worth visiting in person.
This guide contains information about alcoholic beverages and is intended for adults of legal drinking age in their country.
Wine — Qvevri Vineyards & Cellars
Georgia's wine culture is 8,000 years old — and the world is only now catching up. Kakheti's amber qvevri wines have made the world rethink what wine can be; Kartli's historic estate wineries produce alongside ancient fortresses. Here are the producers worth visiting.
Kakheti — Qvevri & Natural Wine
Kakheti is everything. The broad valley between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges is home to 70% of Georgian wine production — every style, every approach, every indigenous variety. Saperavi (the inky red, so pigmented that both skin and flesh run purple) and Rkatsiteli (the amber-skinned white) dominate, but the region holds more than 500 endemic varieties. The wine towns — Sighnaghi, Telavi, Kvareli, Gurjaani, Napareuli — are all within easy reach of Tbilisi. Come in late September for the rtveli harvest, when the whole valley smells of fermented grapes.
Key grapes: Saperavi · Rkatsiteli · Mtsvane · Kisi · Khikhvi · Aladasturi
Pheasant's Tears
Sighnaghi, Kakheti
Founded in 2007 by American artist John Wurdeman and Georgian winemaker Gela Patalishvili, Pheasant's Tears has done more than any single producer to put Georgian natural wine on the global map. Every wine is made in qvevri — with no oak ageing, no filtration, and minimal sulphur. The winery doubles as an acclaimed restaurant and art space in the fortified hill town of Sighnaghi, overlooking the Alazani Valley. Wine tastings pair rare endemic varieties with traditional Georgian food; the atmosphere is unlike any other winery in the Caucasus.
⏱ Daily 12:00–23:00 · 🍷 Wine tasting & restaurant on-site · 📍 18 Baratashvili St, Sighnaghi
Visit Pheasant's Tears → Reviews and book →
Twins Wine House
Napareuli, Kakheti
Twin brothers Gia and Gela Gamtkitsulashvili run one of Kakheti's most complete wine tourism experiences — a working winery with 135 qvevris ranging from 50 litres to 5 tonnes, the world's only Qvevri Wine Museum, a hotel, restaurant, and fully equipped tasting room. The brothers are pioneers of organic certification in Kakheti, with 3 hectares of certified biodynamic vineyard. Masterclasses in traditional qvevri wine-making and Georgian bread baking are available on request. Ideal as an overnight base in the heart of Kakheti.
⏱ Open year-round · 🍷 Tastings, qvevri museum & hotel on-site · 📍 Napareuli village, Telavi region
Visit Twins Wine House → Reviews and book →
Kvareli Wine Cave — Winery Khareba
Kvareli, Kakheti
One of the most dramatic wine experiences in Georgia — 7.7km of tunnels bored into the Caucasus rock massif in 1962 for the International Congress of Vine and Wine, now housing 26,000 bottles of Winery Khareba's finest wines at a natural 12–14°C. The tourist tunnel leads through the ageing chambers, a wine museum, and a chacha pen; the restaurant above has outstanding views over the Alazani Valley. More than two million visitors since 2009. Tastings cover up to 50 Khareba wines; masterclasses in Churchkhela, Khachapuri, and bread baking are available on-site.
⏱ Daily 10:00–20:00 · 🍷 Up to 50 wines for tasting · 📍 Kvareli, Kakheti (2 hrs from Tbilisi)
Visit Kvareli Wine Cave → Reviews and book →Kartli & Estate Wineries
Kartli is Georgia's ancient heartland — the region around Mtskheta, the UNESCO-listed former capital, 20 kilometres north of Tbilisi. The vines here grow in the shadow of ancient fortresses and royal churches; the wines are lighter, more aromatic, and often more European in character. Two of Georgia's finest estate wineries — one restored from a 19th-century royal palace, one built from scratch by a German wine visionary — sit within striking distance of each other and of the capital.
Key grapes: Chinuri · Goruli Mtsvane · Rkatsiteli · Saperavi
Château Mukhrani
Mukhrani, Kartli (near Mtskheta)
Built by Georgian royal Prince Ivane Mukhranbatoni in the 1880s after studying winemaking in France, Château Mukhrani is arguably Georgia's most beautiful wine estate — a French-influenced château surrounded by 100 hectares of vineyard in the Mukhrani valley. Fallen into ruin during the Soviet era, the estate was fully restored from 2007 and now combines ultra-modern winemaking equipment with the original palace architecture. The Samepo Marani 1878 restaurant serves Georgian cuisine alongside the estate's wines. Cellar tours, vineyard walks, and masterclasses are available; the estate also produces traditionally made chacha.
⏱ Open daily · 💰 Tours from 65 GEL · 📍 Mukhrani village, 30 min from Tbilisi · #1 on TripAdvisor Mtskheta
Visit Château Mukhrani → Reviews and book →
Schuchmann Wines Château
Kisiskhevi, Telavi, Kakheti
Founded in 2008 by German entrepreneur Burkhard Schuchmann and Georgian winemaker Georgi Dakishvili, Schuchmann is one of the most complete wine estate experiences in Georgia — 120 hectares of Kakheti vineyard, a modern winery producing 1.5 million bottles annually, a château hotel with wine spa, and a restaurant with panoramic Caucasus views. Guided tastings cover both European-style wines and the Vinoterra qvevri range. The wine spa — grapeseed scrubs, hot wine baths, vinotherapy massages — is unique in the region. An ideal base for a Kakheti wine weekend.
⏱ Open daily · 🍷 Tastings from 30 GEL · 🧖 Wine spa on-site · 📍 7 km southeast of Telavi, Kakheti
Visit Schuchmann Wines →🍷 Practical Wine Tips
- The qvevri harvest (rtveli) runs late September to early October — the most atmospheric time to visit Kakheti, when every family makes wine and the valley fills with the smell of fermenting grapes
- Amber wine (skin-contact Rkatsiteli or Mtsvane from qvevri) can look golden to deep orange — this is normal. The colour comes from the grape skins, not age or oxidation. Taste before judging by colour
- Wine is often measured in litres in Georgia, not bottles. When buying from small producers, prices are quoted per litre: 20–30 GEL/litre is typical for quality qvevri wine
- Tsinandali, Kindzmarauli, Mukuzani and Akhasheni are protected designations of origin with strict grape and production rules — not just brand names on a supermarket label
- Most small Kakheti wineries don't have websites — the best way to visit is through a Tbilisi wine shop (like 8000 Vintages) who can make introductions
- Take the Tbilisi–Telavi marshrutka (shared minibus, 10 GEL, 2 hours) and hire a local taxi from Telavi for winery visits — public transport doesn't reach most estates
Wine Bars & Natural Wine — Tbilisi
Tbilisi has quietly become one of the most exciting wine bar cities in the world — built on the back of Georgia's natural wine renaissance. The bars are small, the wine lists are extraordinary, and the staff know every producer on their shelves personally.
ႆvino Underground
Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi
Georgia's first natural wine bar — and still the one that matters most. Run by a cooperative of Georgian natural wine producers, ႆvino Underground operates from a centuries-old basement in central Tbilisi, its brick-arched cellar stocked with unlabelled bottles from small-scale experimental winemakers you won't find anywhere else. Wine by the glass from 7–13 GEL; bottles from 25 GEL. The kitchen offers cheese, sourdough and seasonal snacks. Closed Mondays; Thursday to Saturday until 2am. The place where Tbilisi's wine revolution started.
📍 G. Tabidze St. 15, Tbilisi · Closed Mon · Tue–Wed until midnight · Thu–Sun until 2am
More info →
8000 Vintages
Tsintsadze St, Tbilisi
The most rigorous wine shop and bar in Tbilisi — and the best place to understand Georgian wine in breadth. An independent tasting committee evaluates around 100 new wines every month through blind tastings and selects only those that pass quality threshold; the collection runs to around 800 bottles from across Georgia's regions and styles. All Georgian wines, sold at shelf price with no service markup. Knowledgeable English-speaking staff guide you through the selection; sommelier-led wine tastings are available by appointment. A 4.8 on Google from over 1,300 reviews.
⏱ Daily 11:00–01:00 · 📍 26 S. Tsintsadze St, Tbilisi · Book tastings ahead
Visit 8000 Vintages →
Barbarestan
Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi
Tbilisi's most celebrated restaurant — built entirely around the recipes of Barbare Eristavi-Jorjadze, a 19th-century Georgian aristocrat whose cookbook (Caucasian Cuisine, 1914) is the foundation of the menu. The two-story space is extraordinary: a romantically lit wine cellar downstairs, a rustic 19th-century dining room above, and a wine list focused entirely on natural Georgian producers. The food is Georgian haute cuisine — technically accomplished, deeply flavoured, and rooted in the same tradition as the wines. Book at least a week ahead; tables fill daily.
⏱ Daily 10:30–23:30 · 📍 132 D. Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi · Reservations essential
Reviews and book →Know Your Wine — The Qvevri Method
When you encounter the words "qvevri wine", "amber wine", or "skin-contact wine" in Georgia, here is what they actually mean — and why they matter to wine lovers worldwide.
Georgia has more indigenous grape varieties than any country except perhaps Turkey — over 500 recorded. Most wine produced globally uses fewer than 20 varieties. Visiting Georgia is one of the few places in the world where you can taste varieties that exist nowhere else on earth.
Spirits — Chacha & Georgian Brandy
Chacha is Georgia's soul spirit — a pomace brandy distilled from the grape residue left after wine-making, clear as spring water, typically 40–60% alcohol, and present at every supra feast. Alongside chacha, Georgia has a brandy tradition stretching back to 1884.
Chacha & Georgian Brandy
Chacha is made everywhere in Georgia — from the farmhouse in the Caucasus foothills to the urban distillery. It arrives at the end of every supra (traditional Georgian feast), poured from a jug by a host who insists you drink at least three glasses. At its best — made from aromatic Rkatsiteli grape marc, clear-distilled and aged in Caucasian oak — Georgian chacha rivals some of the finest spirits in the world. The brandy tradition is equally serious: David Sarajishvili studied cognac in France in the 1880s and returned to build Georgia's first distillery. Georgian brandy has won international competitions ever since.
Main ingredients: Rkatsiteli grape marc (chacha) · Saperavi marc · Chinuri & Goruli Mtsvane (brandy base)
Grape to Glass — Chacha Tasting
Chacha Time Bar, Old Tbilisi
The best introduction to chacha in Tbilisi — a structured 30-minute tasting of five different varieties at the intimate Chacha Time bar in Old Tbilisi (Sololaki). Starting with classic clear chacha (the "Georgian vodka") through fruit-infused versions (fig, walnut, tarragon) to aged oak expressions, the session is led by knowledgeable local hosts who cover the history, production, and cultural traditions of Georgia's national spirit. Local snacks accompany each pour. Rated 5 out of 5 across all GetYourGuide reviews; runs daily in English.
⏱ 30 minutes · 💰 ~$18/person · 📍 Geronti Kikodze St, Old Tbilisi · English-speaking hosts
More info →
Sarajishvili Brandy Distillery
David Sarajishvili Ave, Tbilisi
Georgia's oldest brandy distillery — founded in 1884 by David Sarajishvili, who studied cognac production in France before returning to Tbilisi to build something distinctly Georgian. The distillery uses high-acidity indigenous grape varieties (Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Tsitska) double-distilled in copper pot stills and aged in Caucasian oak for a minimum of three years. Guided tours run daily 10:00–17:00 through the 140-year-old production warehouses and include a tasting of three brandy expressions. The factory store sells at distillery prices — well below supermarket rates.
⏱ Daily 10:00–17:00 · 🥃 Tour & tasting included · 📍 4 David Sarajishvili Ave, Tbilisi
Visit Sarajishvili →
Teliani Valley — Glekhuri Chacha
Telavi, Kakheti
One of the most internationally recognised Kakheti producers — Teliani Valley won "Best of Show Georgia Red" at Mundus Vini 2024 for their Glekhuri qvevri Saperavi. Their chacha programme is equally serious: made from Rkatsiteli and Saperavi grape marc, it comes in Silver (unaged, classic clear), Gold (aged in Caucasian oak), and Honey (infused with Kakheti honeycombs) versions. Tastings of both wine and chacha are available at the winery in Telavi. A good introduction to the range of Georgian chacha before visiting smaller home producers.
🍷 Wine & chacha tastings available · 📍 Telavi, Kakheti · International award-winning producer
Visit Teliani Valley →🥃 Chacha & Georgian Spirits — What to Know
- Chacha is traditionally drunk neat and at room temperature — never mixed, never chilled. A small pour after a meal is the local custom; a large pour is the Georgian custom
- Commercial chacha is typically 40–45% alcohol; home-distilled chacha can reach 60–70%. The home-made version is stronger, more varied, and often better
- Fruit chacha (fig, walnut, mulberry, tarragon) is a Georgian specialty — the base chacha is infused with fresh or dried fruit for several weeks before serving. Walnut chacha is considered particularly good with cheese
- Georgian brandy is classified by age like Cognac: three-star (minimum 3 years), five-star (5 years), and premium aged expressions. Sarajishvili VSOP is aged 8 years in oak
- Many wineries in Kakheti distil chacha from their own grape marc — ask specifically for this at estates you visit. Estate chacha is rarely sold commercially but often available to buy on-site
- At a supra feast, the tamada (toastmaster) proposes each toast and the table drinks in unison — it is impolite to drink outside of toasts. Pace yourself from the first glass
Craft Beer — Breweries & Taprooms
Georgia's craft beer scene is young, creative, and growing fast — built on some of the purest mountain water in the Caucasus. Tbilisi's microbreweries have moved well beyond the basics: sour ales inspired by qvevri wine techniques, IPAs from international hops, and stouts to rival anything in Europe.
Tbilisi — Taprooms & Brewery Bars
Georgia's craft beer movement dates from around 2010, when a handful of brewers realised that the same pure underground water feeding Tbilisi's springs could also make excellent ale. The scene is still small — perhaps a dozen independent breweries in the country — but it's unusually creative, drawing on Georgian fermentation traditions (qvevri-inspired sours, wild yeasts, local ingredients like tarragon and cornelian cherry) to produce beers that exist nowhere else.
Styles to look for: Qvevri-inspired Sour · Georgian IPA · Milk Stout · Tomato Gose · Fruit Ale · New England IPA
Shavi Lomi — Black Lion
Kvlividze St, Tbilisi
Georgia's original craft brewery and still one of its best. Shavi Lomi ("Black Lion") has been at the heart of Tbilisi's culinary transformation for over a decade — operating from a large mansion with a garden in a quiet residential neighbourhood. Their Black Lion IPA is made the old way: hops, malt, and water, no shortcuts. The food matches the beer — contemporary Georgian cuisine with carefully sourced ingredients. 496 reviews on TripAdvisor, rated 4.2; ranked #78 of 1,875 Tbilisi restaurants. Book ahead for evenings and weekends.
⏱ Daily 12:00–02:00 · 🍺 Georgian craft beer on tap · 📍 30 Kvlividze St, Tbilisi · Garden seating
Reviews and book →
AGARA Brewery
Vazha-Pshavela Ave, Tbilisi
Named after the Georgian village of Agara in Kareli, AGARA is Tbilisi's most adventurous new craft brewer — 23 unique beers on rotation, from a tomato gose (Mr. Tomato, rated 3.88 on Untappd) to a New England IPA and an 8% milk stout called Dragonchar. Premium ingredients sourced globally — Simpsons malts from the UK, New Zealand and American hops — combined with Caucasian underground water. The taproom on Vazha-Pshavela Avenue opens daily from 14:00. A rapidly growing local following with 1,416 check-ins on Untappd.
⏱ Daily 14:00–01:00 · 🍺 23 unique beers on rotation · 📍 85 Vazha-Pshavela Ave, Tbilisi
Visit AGARA Brewery →
Megobrebi — Tsota Tsota Pub
Lortkifanidze St, Sololaki, Tbilisi
Megobrebi ("Friends" in Georgian) is a new-wave craft brewery with a singular vision: beers inspired by the qvevri wine tradition — sour ales, hybrid styles, and experimental brews using Georgian wild yeasts and local ingredients. The brewery sits 15km from the city centre, but their taproom Tsota Tsota Pub ("a little bit, a little bit") is in old town Sololaki and is the place to try the full range. The five co-founders come from Georgia, the USA, Sweden, Ukraine, and Singapore — an unusually international approach to a very Georgian craft.
⏱ Daily 16:00–01:00 · 🍺 Sour ales, hybrids, seasonal brews · 📍 6 Giga Lortkifanidze St, Sololaki, Tbilisi
Visit Megobrebi →Coffee Culture & Tbilisi Cafés
Tbilisi's coffee scene has transformed in a decade — from Soviet-era instant coffee to a full specialty culture built on filter brewing, local roasters, and the social art of sitting still. The café has become central to Tbilisi's street life: a place to work, argue, read, and stay for three hours over a single V60.
Shavi Coffee Roasters
Multiple locations, Tbilisi
Tbilisi's leading specialty coffee roastery and the closest thing the city has to a coffee institution. Shavi ("Black" in Georgian) roasts its own beans — sourced from Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, and other origins — at their Tbilisi facility, which is visible through glass from the café floor. The menu runs from single-origin V60 pour-overs and Ethiopian filter to milk-based espresso drinks, all using beans roasted that week. Scandinavian-minimalist interiors, consistently high extraction quality, and a loyal community who care about what's in the cup.
⏱ Open daily · ☕ Own-roast specialty, V60, espresso · 📍 Multiple Tbilisi locations · Coffee subscriptions available
Visit Shavi Coffee →
OKRO Coffee Roastery & Bakery
Nikoladze St, Tbilisi
The city's most design-conscious specialty café — an industrial space in central Tbilisi with its own in-house roaster, a full artisan bakery (sourdough, pastries, pies), and a menu that runs from filter coffee in the morning to wine and craft cocktails in the evening. OKRO's espresso tonic has become a Tbilisi signature drink. The intentional no-laptop zone in part of the café encourages real conversation. Outdoor terrace seating in warm months; dog-friendly and wheelchair accessible. Highly reviewed on TripAdvisor.
⏱ Daily 8:00–17:30 · ☕ Own-roast specialty, artisan bakery · 📍 12 Iakob Nikoladze St, Tbilisi
Reviews and book →
Milevskii Coffee & Bar
Tbilisi
Where Tbilisi's café culture meets its cocktail culture — Milevskii does both with equal seriousness. Coffee runs from classic espresso to V60 filter, cold brew, and a house espresso tonic; cocktails take over from early evening with negronis, espresso martinis, and a "barista cocktail" made to order from your mood. The food is unexpected and excellent: syrniki (Georgian cheese pancakes) in the morning, savoury buckwheat bowls, eggs benedict, tartine with salmon. A genuine all-day space that draws Tbilisi's creative community from 10am to midnight.
⏱ Open daily · ☕ Specialty coffee · 🍸 Cocktails & wine from evening · 📍 Tbilisi
Visit Milevskii →💡 Good to Know
- 🍷 "Gaumarjos!" (gaw-mar-jos) is the Georgian toast — it means "victory" and must be accompanied by full eye contact when you clink glasses. Always reciprocate
- 🫙 At a traditional supra, the tamada (toastmaster) proposes toasts to God, the country, the guests, the living, the dead, love, and peace — in that order. Wine flows between each toast; chacha arrives at the end
- 🚗 Kakheti's wineries are best reached by car or hired taxi — distances between estates are short (20–40 minutes) and a Telavi-based driver for the day costs around 100–150 GEL (roughly €30–40)
- 💰 The GEL exchange rate makes Georgian wine extraordinary value — restaurant wines start at 20–30 GEL (€7–10) and quality qvevri wines rarely exceed 80–100 GEL per bottle
- 🍇 Several Kakheti estates (including Twins Wine House and Pheasant's Tears) offer harvest experiences in late September and October — stomping grapes and transferring must into qvevri is one of Georgia's great travel experiences
- 🫗 When offered chacha by a host, it is considered rude to refuse. Take the glass, say "Gaumarjos!", and sip — a genuine refusal can be communicated gently after the first toast