Natenadze Wine Restaurant — Wine in Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia

In short

Natenadze Wine Restaurant is a wine-focused restaurant and small wine label set inside the walls of Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe, the main town of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southern Georgia. The business combines a kitchen built around Meskhetian (Samtskhe) regional dishes with a house wine that, the winery says, is pressed from wild grapevines of 200 to 400 years old found in the forests and abandoned villages of Meskheti. The address given is Iv. Kharischirashvili Street 1, Akhaltsikhe.

The estate and its history

Natenadze describes itself as a bridge between the centuries-old history of Samtskhe-Javakheti and contemporary Georgian hospitality, and states that its aim is to turn the cultural heritage of Meskheti into a modern gastronomic experience, reviving what it calls forgotten, centuries-old recipes with an innovative interpretation.

The restaurant sits inside Rabati Fortress, in the centre of Akhaltsikhe. The fortress itself has a long and layered history, originally built as a Georgian stronghold and known for centuries as Lomsia, before being substantially rebuilt and renamed Rabati under Ottoman control; the complex that visitors see today, with its citadel, mosque, church and surrounding walls, was extensively restored in a major renovation completed in the early 2010s, after which it became one of the principal visitor sites in the region. Natenadze occupies a position within this restored complex, which gives the restaurant its setting rather than being a historic building in its own right as a winery.

The website does not give a founding year for the restaurant or the wine label, nor does it name a founder, so no dated timeline of the business itself can be given here; the dates above refer to the fortress that houses it, not to Natenadze as a company.

Vineyards, grapes and method

Samtskhe-Javakheti is not one of Georgia’s principal wine regions in the way Kakheti or Kartli are, and commercial viticulture there is limited; against that background, Natenadze positions its wine specifically around old, untended vines rather than a planted, managed vineyard. According to the restaurant, the grapes come from wild vine varieties that have survived in Meskheti’s forests and on the sites of former villages, nasoflari, some said to be between 200 and 400 years old. The website does not name the grape variety or varieties involved, does not state the size of any vineyard or growing area in hectares, does not give annual production volumes, and does not specify whether the wine is fermented in qvevri or made by the European method. The emphasis in the restaurant’s own text is on the origin and story of the fruit rather than technical winemaking detail: it says the taste itself speaks of the past, of untouched nature and of the history of Meskheti.

The wines

Only one wine is named on the website.

• Tamar’s Vine (თამარის ვაზი) — described by the restaurant as a rare example of Meskhetian terroir, pressed from a vine that, according to local tradition cited on the site, produced the favourite wine of Queen Tamar; it is presented as the signature wine of the Natenadze collection. No grape variety, vintage, style or price is stated.

No further wine labels, vintages or technical notes are published, and no price list for the wine is given on the site.

Visiting

Natenadze presents itself primarily as a restaurant rather than a winery with a separate visitor programme. The website does not publish opening hours, a cellar tour, a standalone tasting menu, or tasting prices for the wine. What is offered is a restaurant booking system: guests can reserve a table through an online form requesting name, date, number of guests, email and phone number, or by calling the number given, 591 15 31 13. There is no indication on the site of a minimum group size, advance notice required, or a separate wine-tasting fee.

Food and stays

The kitchen serves what the restaurant calls traditional Meskhetian cuisine, reworked with a contemporary approach and built on recipes it describes as largely forgotten. Published starter dishes and prices are:

• Tutmaji (თუთმაჯი) — mushroom, flour, salt, oil — 25 GEL
• Lokokina (ლოკოკინა, snails) — snails, herbs, oil — 25 GEL
• Assorted sausage platter (ძეხვეულის ნაირსახეობა) — smoked sausage, boiled sausage, oil-cured fruit — 36 GEL
• Khinkali — mushroom, flour, salt, oil — 10 GEL

The online menu also lists category headings for “Signature” and “Chef Recommended” main courses, but individual dish names and prices under these headings are not given in the published text. Customer reviews reproduced on the website mention dolma and a multi-layered khachapuri filled with three types of cheese as further dishes served at the restaurant, and several reviewers note that a service charge of around 18 percent is typically added to the bill, which they describe as standard practice for tourist-oriented venues in the area.

The website does not mention any guesthouse, overnight rooms, or private event hosting connected to Natenadze; based on the published information, it operates as a restaurant and wine label only, without accommodation.

Location and getting there

Natenadze Wine Restaurant is at Iv. Kharischirashvili Street 1, inside Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe, the administrative centre of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Akhaltsikhe lies roughly 190 km southwest of Tbilisi, a drive of about three to three and a half hours along the main road that passes through Borjomi. The town is a frequent base for exploring the wider region: Sapara Monastery is around 10 km away, Borjomi around 45 km, and the cave monastery of Vardzia around 60 km to the south. Because the restaurant sits inside Rabati Fortress itself, a meal there can be combined directly with a walk around the fortress grounds, which also contain a citadel, mosque, church and museum within the same walls.

Good to know

• Address: Iv. Kharischirashvili Street 1, Akhaltsikhe, inside Rabati Fortress.
• Contact: phone 591 15 31 13, email info@natenadze.restaurant.
• Reservations are made through the website’s booking form or by phone; no minimum notice period is stated.
• Starter prices on the published menu range from 10 to 36 GEL; main course prices are not listed on the site.
• Reviewers note a service charge of around 18 percent is typically added to the bill.
• Only one named wine, Tamar’s Vine, appears on the website, with no technical winemaking details disclosed.
• No guesthouse, rooms or private event hosting are mentioned on the website.
• The restaurant maintains Facebook, Instagram and Tripadvisor pages.

Questions travellers ask

Is Natenadze a winery you can visit for tastings, or mainly a restaurant?

The website presents it primarily as a restaurant serving Meskhetian cuisine alongside its own wine. No separate tasting room, cellar tour or opening hours for wine visits are published, so it is best approached as a restaurant with a house wine rather than a winery with a formal visitor circuit.

What grape varieties does Natenadze use?

The restaurant does not name specific grape varieties. It describes its wine as made from wild vines, said to be between 200 and 400 years old, found growing in forests and on the sites of abandoned villages across the Meskheti region.

How far is Akhaltsikhe from Tbilisi, and can a visit be combined with other stops?

Akhaltsikhe is around 190 km from Tbilisi, roughly a three to three-and-a-half hour drive. It is a common stop for travellers heading to Vardzia, Sapara Monastery or Borjomi, and because the restaurant is inside Rabati Fortress, a meal there pairs easily with a walk around the fortress grounds.

What should I expect to pay?

Published starter prices range from 10 GEL for khinkali to 36 GEL for an assorted sausage platter. Main course prices are not listed on the website. Reviews mention a service charge of around 18 percent typically added to the bill.

Does Natenadze offer accommodation or host events?

No information about a guesthouse, overnight stays, or private event hosting is published on the website; it is presented solely as a restaurant and wine label.

Sources

• Natenadze Wine Restaurant — official website (natenadze.restaurant)
• Natenadze Wine Restaurant: About Us
• Natenadze Wine Restaurant: კონტაქტი
• Natenadze Wine Restaurant: Menus

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 28 October 2026 from the property’s official website; photographs are the property’s own, from its official website, credited under each image. Not sponsored; tell us if something has changed.