6 Places to Experience Georgia's 8,000-Year Wine History
14 Aug 2026
Is Georgia really a birthplace of wine? Well, around 8,000 years ago, people living in what is now Georgia were already making wine in clay vessels buried underground. Archaeologists have since uncovered the world's oldest known evidence of grape wine, while centuries of uninterrupted winemaking have left their mark on everything from cave cities and monasteries to mountain terraces and family cellars.
If you want to understand why Georgian wine is unlike anywhere else in the world, don't stop at the tasting room. These six destinations tell the story of the world's oldest wine culture better than any bottle alone.
1. Shulaveri Gora & Gadachrili Gora – The Birthplace of Wine
Every great wine story has a beginning, and this is it.
In the countryside of Kvemo Kartli, archaeologists discovered fragments of clay vessels dating to around 6000–5800 BC that contained the oldest known chemical evidence of grape wine made of cultural grapes. Those discoveries rewrote wine history and confirmed Georgia as the cradle of viticulture.
While the archaeological sites themselves remain unavailable to visitors yet, a visit to the excellent Bolnisi Museum can be a good idea to put discoveries into context.
Complete the day by exploring the growing wine scene of Kvemo Kartli. Brothers' Cellar, Disveli Estate, Shalo’s Marani and Japara Winery showcase a region that is establishing itself on Georgia's wine map.
Getting there: Around one hour by car from Tbilisi.
2. Georgian National Museum – Discover the Story Before the Journey
Before heading into the vineyards, start where the evidence is.
The Georgian National Museum in central Tbilisi brings together thousands of years of archaeology, including Neolithic pottery, ancient drinking vessels and artefacts that reveal how closely wine was connected to everyday life, religion and trade.
It's the ideal first stop before travelling around the country, giving visitors the historical context that turns every vineyard, qvevri and archaeological site into part of one continuous story.
Afterwards, continue the experience in one of Tbilisi's excellent wine bars, such as 8000 Vintages, Vino Underground, Dadi Wine Bar, Sulico, or Warehouse.
Getting there: Located on Rustaveli Avenue, the museum is easily reached on foot, by metro or taxi.
3. Uplistsikhe – Georgia's Ancient Cave City of Trade and Wine
Few places demonstrate the importance of wine in everyday life quite like Uplistsikhe.
Founded more than 3,000 years ago, this remarkable rock-hewn city contains ancient streets, temples, tunnels, storage rooms and, most importantly for wine lovers, carved wine presses and marani that once supplied the settlement.
Standing among them, it's easy to imagine wine being made here centuries before many of Europe's famous wine regions even existed. Also, it’s the place where the second season of Drops of God was filmed!
Nearby, discover the increasingly exciting wines of Shida Kartli with visits to Uplistsikhe Estate, Wine Artisans, Chapidon, Chateau Ateni, Nika Vacheishvili's Marani or Ori Marani — the small producers helping revive the region's reputation.
Getting there: Around 90 minutes from Tbilisi.
4. Vardzia – Reviving Georgia's Historic Vineyards
Georgia's oldest wine traditions exist not only in Kakheti. The dramatic cave monastery of Vardzia sits above a landscape that was once covered in carefully constructed vineyard terraces. It also preserves ancient rock-cut wine presses, where grapes were crushed before wine was transported and stored in qvevri.
Today, that heritage is being revived by pioneering winemakers such as Giorgi Natenadze, whose work has brought forgotten Meskhetian grape varieties back into cultivation. He used to forage them in Chachkari village, where one of Georgia’s oldest vines still grows, and started making wine out of them.
Visit Natenadze's Wine Restaurant in Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Fortress to experience one of the country's most exciting wine revivals.
Getting there: Around four hours from Tbilisi. Stay overnight in Akhaltsikhe or Vardzia to explore the region properly.
5. Nekresi – Where Ancient Civilisation Meets Kakheti's Vineyards
Perched above the Alazani Valley, Nekresi offers one of the most spectacular views in Georgian wine country.
Long before the monastery was founded, this hill was home to an important ancient settlement, making it a place where pagan traditions, early Christianity and viticulture overlap. It is a reminder that Georgia's wine culture has adapted and evolved while remaining remarkably continuous.
Nearby wineries, including Nekresi Estate, Ikano, Khareba, Kindzmarauli Corporation and Chubini Wine Cellar, make this an excellent stop on any Kakheti wine itinerary.
Getting there: Around two and a half hours from Tbilisi. Kvareli provides plenty of hotels, restaurants and winery accommodation.
6. Vani – Ancient Colchis Beyond the Golden Fleece
Most visitors have no idea that Vani is associated with the legend of Jason and the Argonauts, but the archaeological museum reveals a great story.
Between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, Vani flourished as one of the principal centres of ancient Colchis. Its extraordinary collection of gold jewellery, imported Greek ceramics, bronze sculptures and elegant drinking vessels paints a vivid picture of a sophisticated society where wine accompanied diplomacy, religion and celebration.
It is one of Georgia's finest museums and a perfect introduction to western Georgian wine culture.
Complete your visit with nearby wineries such as Vartsikhe Marani, Igavi Wines, Baia's Wine or Gaioz Sopromadze Wine Cellar, where you'll discover fresh, vibrant expressions of Imereti's indigenous grape varieties.
Getting there: Just 30 minutes from Kutaisi, making it an easy day trip or stop on the way to the region's wineries.
Walk Through the World's Oldest Wine Story
Georgia's wine heritage isn't confined to tasting rooms or trade events. It lives beneath prehistoric settlements, inside cave cities, across mountain terraces and in museums preserving treasures thousands of years old. Together, these places tell the remarkable story of a country where winemaking has never stopped.
