Kartveli Winery — Wine in Kvemo Kartli, Georgia

In short

Kartveli is a Georgian wine and whisky producer based on the Kakheti Highway in Martkopi, Kvemo Kartli, a short drive east of Tbilisi. The company was founded in 2015 by Jimsher Chkhaidze-Askaneli, a winemaker whose family history in the trade, the winery says, goes back to the 1880s. Kartveli describes itself as a hub bringing together several of the founder’s brands: Kartveli, Gvariani, Aragveli and Orbeliani wines, together with Jimsheri, which the company calls the first Georgian whisky. The winery frames its work around Georgia’s long winemaking history, citing the country’s roughly 8,000-year tradition of qvevri wine and its 500 endemic grape varieties.

The estate and its history

According to the winery, the founder’s family has been involved in winemaking for several generations. Jimsher Chkhaidze-Askaneli’s great-grandfather, Antimoz Chkhaidze, is said to have made wine from select varieties in Guria, in western Georgia, during the 1880s. In 1998, Jimsher Chkhaidze and his brothers founded Askaneli Brothers, which the winery describes as one of Georgia’s established wine brands. Kartveli itself was established later, in 2015, as a separate company built around the idea of linking the country’s old winemaking traditions with newer production methods and brands.

The winery says it has built a modern wine factory and whisky distillery on the site, fitted with German and Italian equipment, and that it holds vineyards in several micro-zones and appellations around Georgia. On the factory grounds the company has also planted a collection of close to 500 Georgian and foreign grape varieties, which it presents as a kind of living archive of the vine.

• 1880s – Antimoz Chkhaidze, great-grandfather of the founder, makes wine in Guria (the winery says)
• 1998 – Jimsher Chkhaidze and his brothers found Askaneli Brothers
• 2015 – Jimsher Chkhaidze-Askaneli founds the Kartveli company
• Undated – construction of a modern wine factory and whisky distillery with German and Italian equipment, and planting of an ampelographic collection of around 500 vine varieties
• 2025 – Jimsher Symphony Single Malt whisky wins the World Whiskies Award 2025, and several Kartveli wines are recognised at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2025 (the winery says)

Vineyards, grapes and method

The winery states that it owns vineyards across different micro-zones and appellations in Georgia, without specifying exact hectares or annual volumes on its website. Its wine range draws on both eastern Georgian appellations associated with Kakheti, such as Mukuzani, Tsinandali and Kindzmarauli, and indigenous varieties from other regions, such as Chkhaveri, traditionally grown in western Georgia.

Production follows two parallel approaches. Some wines, grouped under the Qartvalley label and a separate qvevri-aged Saperavi-Merlot blend and Chkhaveri rosé, are made using the qvevri method, the traditional Georgian technique of fermenting and ageing wine in large buried clay vessels. Other wines, under the Gvariani label, correspond to classic Kakhetian appellation styles typically made by European winemaking methods. The website does not give separate production figures for the two methods.

The wines

• Qartvalley Rkatsiteli Qvevri – qvevri-method white wine made from Rkatsiteli, Georgia’s most widely planted white grape.
• Qartvalley Saperavi Qvevri – qvevri-method red wine made from Saperavi, Georgia’s principal red grape.
• Gvariani Mukuzani – red wine made in the Mukuzani appellation style, from Saperavi grapes.
• Gvariani Mtsvane – white wine made from the Mtsvane Kakhuri grape.
• Gvariani Rkatsiteli – white wine made from Rkatsiteli.
• Gvariani Saperavi – red wine made from Saperavi.
• Gvariani Kindzmarauli – red wine made in the Kindzmarauli appellation style, from Saperavi grapes.
• Gvariani Tsinandali – white wine made in the Tsinandali appellation style, traditionally a blend of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane.
• Saperavi Reserve 2022 – reserve red wine made from Saperavi.
• Saperavi Qvevri – Merlot 2023 – qvevri-method red blend of Saperavi and Merlot.
• Chkhaveri Qvevri Rosé 2022 – qvevri-method rosé made from Chkhaveri, an indigenous variety from western Georgia.

Alongside its wines, the company also produces whisky under the Jimsheri brand, including the Jimsher Symphony Single Malt, which the winery says was named a winner at the World Whiskies Award 2025.

Visiting

The winery’s website does not publish a dedicated visitor programme, tasting menu or tour prices. Its contact page lists general office hours of Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00, along with a phone number and email address for enquiries. Travellers interested in a tasting or a look at the production facility should contact the winery in advance to confirm whether a visit can be arranged on the day and what it would involve.

Food and stays

No restaurant, guesthouse or event space is mentioned on the Kartveli website. The company’s online presence is focused on wine and whisky production and sales rather than hospitality facilities.

Awards

The winery lists the following results on its website (medals and years as stated by the winery):

• IWSC – International Wine & Spirit Competition, 2025: Gvariani Rkatsiteli 2021 (Gold), Gvariani Saperavi 2022 (Silver), Gvariani Saperavi 2020 (Bronze), Qartvalley Rkatsiteli Qvevri 2022 (Silver).
• IWSC, 2024: Gvariani Tsinandali (Gold).
• IWSC, 2023: Gvariani Saperavi (Bronze), Gvariani Mukuzani (Silver), Gvariani Tsinandali (Silver), Qartvalley Saperavi (Gold).
• Mundus Vini – Grand International Wine Award, 2025: Saperavi Reserve 2022 (Gold), Gvariani Mtsvane 2024 (Gold), Qartvalley Rkatsiteli Qvevri 2022 (Silver).
• Mundus Vini, 2024: Qartvalley Saperavi (Gold).
• Mundus Vini, 2023: Qartvalley Saperavi (Gold), Gvariani Tsinandali (Gold), Gvariani Mukuzani (Silver).
• Qvevri Wine International Competition: Qartvalley Rkatsiteli Qvevri 2022 (Silver).
• Jimsher whisky: Gold, Global Travel Retail Spirits Masters 2017, London (Saperavi Casks); Silver, Travel Retail Masters 2017 / The Fifty Best, Best World Whisky (Tsinandali Casks); Silver, International Wine & Spirit Competition 2020, and recognition at the International Whisky Competition’s Best World Whisky 2018 (Saperavi Casks); Bronze, International Wine & Spirit Competition 2018 (Saperavi Casks); Bronze, World Whiskies Awards, Trio Triple Cask, Best World Whisky 2018 (Georgian Brandy Casks).
• Jimsher Symphony Single Malt – winner, World Whiskies Award 2025 (the winery says).

Location and getting there

Kartveli’s address is given as Kakheti Highway and Erekle II Street, Martkopi 1320. Martkopi is a town in the Gardabani municipality of Kvemo Kartli, lying along the Kakheti Highway, the main road running east from Tbilisi towards the Kakheti wine region. It is best known locally for Martkopi Monastery, set on a hill above the town. The winery lies roughly 30 minutes’ drive from central Tbilisi by car, making it a feasible stop on a day trip either on the way into or back from Kakheti, or as a short excursion from the capital on its own.

The company’s contact page also lists an address on Kakheti Highway in Tbilisi itself, which appears to serve as a city office or correspondence address; visitors should confirm with the winery in advance which location to head for.

Good to know

• Address: Kakheti Highway and Erekle II Street, Martkopi 1320, Kvemo Kartli.
• Office hours stated on the website: Monday to Friday, 10:00–18:00.
• Contact: phone +995 577 225 858, email info@kartveli.ge.
• No tasting programme, tour prices or opening times for visitors are published online; enquire directly before visiting.
• The Kartveli hub includes several wine brands (Kartveli, Gvariani, Aragveli, Orbeliani) and the Jimsheri whisky brand.
• Wines are made using both the traditional qvevri method and European winemaking techniques, depending on the label.
• No restaurant or guesthouse is mentioned on the winery’s website.
• The site states age verification (18+) is required before browsing its online shop.

Questions travellers ask

Can you visit Kartveli Winery for a tasting?

The winery’s website does not publish a set tasting programme or visiting hours for guests. It lists general office hours of Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00, and a phone number and email for enquiries, so travellers wanting to taste or tour the facility should contact the winery ahead of time to check availability.

How far is Kartveli Winery from Tbilisi?

The winery is in Martkopi, in the Gardabani municipality of Kvemo Kartli, on the Kakheti Highway, which is the main road connecting Tbilisi with the Kakheti wine region. It is around 30 minutes’ drive from central Tbilisi.

What grape varieties does Kartveli work with?

Its range includes wines from Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Mtsvane, Merlot and Chkhaveri, covering both widely grown Georgian varieties and the western Georgian indigenous grape Chkhaveri. The company also maintains a collection of around 500 Georgian and foreign vine varieties on its factory grounds, according to the winery.

Does Kartveli make wine using the qvevri method?

Yes. Several of its wines, including the Qartvalley range, the Saperavi-Merlot qvevri blend and the Chkhaveri qvevri rosé, are made using the traditional qvevri method, while its Gvariani range of appellation wines is produced in a more European style.

Does Kartveli produce anything besides wine?

Yes. The company also produces whisky under the Jimsheri brand, which it describes as the first Georgian whisky. Its Jimsher Symphony Single Malt was named a winner at the World Whiskies Award 2025, according to the winery, and earlier Jimsher whiskies have received medals at international spirits competitions.

Sources

• Kartveli Winery — official website (kartveli.ge)
• Kartveli Winery: ჩვენ შესახებ
• Kartveli Winery: ღვინო
• Kartveli Winery: ჯილდოები
• Kartveli Winery: კონტაქტი

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 26 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.