The estates, domaines and châteaux worth the drive in Kakheti, from first growths to grower gems.
The estates, domaines and châteaux worth the drive in Kakheti, from classified growths to grower gems.
Kisiskhevi estate drawing on vineyards in the Napareuli, Tsinandali and Kindzmarauli zones, with tank-fermented wines alongside a qvevri range, plus a hotel and spa on site.
Tip: Tasting, restaurant and hotel share one site at Kisiskhevi, so a visit can run from cellar to table without moving.
Kisiskhevi cellar bottling under the Orgo and Dilao labels. Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane and Saperavi ferment in qvevri, with a reserve Saperavi and a qvevri-fermented sparkling.
The Chavchavadze estate at Tsinandali, with a historic cellar, a park and a hotel. Tastings and cellar tours run daily from the estate visitor programme.
Tip: The estate pairs a wine tour with the Chavchavadze house museum, so allow time for both rather than the cellar alone.
Family winery founded in 1997 beside the Chavchavadze park at Tsinandali, taking fruit from the Mukuzani, Napareuli, Kindzmarauli and Tsinandali zones.
Napareuli cellar run by twin brothers, working in buried qvevri. The site also holds a qvevri museum, a restaurant and guest rooms.
Kurdgelauri winery trading as Marani since 1915, with the Satrapezo and Kondoli ranges and its own vineyards on the Kondoli hills. Wine tours run from the site.
Telavi winery on the Tbilisi highway, with the Teliani Valley, Glekhuri and Teluri ranges covering dry red and white, amber qvevri wine, sparkling, chacha and brandy.
Vardisubani producer outside Telavi with a short list built on Khikhvi, including a qvevri version, plus Goruli Mtsvane, Kindzmarauli and a white chacha.
Telavi wine company on the Tbilisi highway at the edge of town, bottling a Kakhetian range of reds and whites for the domestic and export trade.
Small Telavi winery on Giorgi Leonidze Street bottling Saperavi, Kisi, Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli, with tastings and a tour of the cellar by arrangement.
Kvareli producer whose tunnel cellar, cut into the Caucasus rock and opened in 1962, runs 7.7 km and holds the bottle library where tastings take place.
Tip: The tunnel holds a steady 12 to 16 degrees all year, so take a layer even in August.
Winery at Chikaani outside Kvareli with a standard wine range, a premium tier and a brandy line, working the Alazani Valley fruit on the Kvareli side.
Shilda estate in Kvareli municipality bottling Kindzmarauli, Tsinandali and Mukuzani alongside qvevri Saperavi, Kisi and Rkatsiteli and an oak-aged qvevri Saperavi.
Kvareli winery on Erekle II Street with a Saperavi-led list that includes a premium bottling and older vintages held back for release.
Shilda marani founded in February 2013, making dry Rkatsiteli from its own vineyards on the Shilda plateau, with a twenty room guest house on the same site.
Kvareli producer on Matikashvili Street with Alazani Valley, Tsinandali, Kindzmarauli and Pirosmani bottlings alongside Rkatsiteli and a qvevri Kisi.
Estate at Vazisubani with 35 hectares of vineyard planted to Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Khikhvi and Mtsvane, fermenting in qvevri, with a hotel and restaurant on the grounds.
Gurjaani estate at Zegaani working only Saperavi, bottled as Mukuzani and under the Zegaani label, fermented in qvevri and aged in either qvevri or oak.
Tip: The estate bottles only in years it judges strong, so the range on the table changes from visit to visit.
Gurjaani family winery on David Guramishvili Street, registered as Gurjaani Wine Cellar, with wine, qvevri bottlings, sparkling, chacha and brandy in the range.
Vachnadziani cellar fermenting in qvevri by the Kakhetian method, with two fortified wines and two chachas, one of them eight years in oak.
Tip: Book a day ahead and the tasting comes with a full Georgian table rather than the standard plate of snacks.
Gurjaani marani working in buried qvevri, with awards from the Georgian wine association competitions listed on its own site.
Akhmeta winery at Zemo Khodasheni producing qvevri, red, white and sparkling wine plus chacha, and the partner behind the restored Alaverdi Monastery cellar.
Monastery cellar at Alaverdi where monks work an eleventh century qvevri cellar, restored in 2006 with Badagoni, bottling under the Since 1011 label.
Akhmeta producer making natural qvevri wine in the Kakhetian method, including an amber Rkatsiteli, and running wine tasting tours from the town.
Sighnaghi winery on Baratashvili Street working in qvevri, with a restaurant attached to the cellar and a second room, Crazy Pomegranate, in town.
Tip: The restaurant pours back vintages and cellar-only cuvees that are not sold anywhere else in Sighnaghi.
Peak wine-travel season in Kakheti is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Kakheti rewards trust.