Brothers Cellar — Wine in Kvemo Kartli, Georgia

In short

Brothers Cellar (Dzmebis Marani) is a small family winery in Bolnisi, in the historic Kvemo Kartli wine region south of Tbilisi. The winery says its wine tradition goes back to 1900, when a great-grandfather first produced wine from Rkatsiteli grapes grown in the village of Ratevani. The modern winery was founded in 2015 by brothers Guram and Giorgi, who set out to revive qvevri winemaking within the family. Today the estate works with two hectares of vineyard, an annual production of around 16,000 bottles, and a range of roughly ten wines made using qvevri, classic (European) and Bolnisi (Shvaba) methods.

The estate and its history

According to the winery, winemaking in the family began in 1900 with a great-grandfather who tended his own vineyard in the village of Ratevani and made Rkatsiteli wine for household use, using the Shvaba (Swabian) method of fermentation in oak vats. His son, Vazha, continued the practice. The winery says the small Ratevani plot – six rows of vines now nearly sixty years old – still carries particular family significance, and that Chinuri has since been planted there alongside the older vines.

The current winery dates its founding to 2015, when brothers Guram and Giorgi decided to restore qvevri winemaking as part of the family tradition. The winery states that Guram, its winemaker, was also the main initiator behind Bolnisi’s status as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), achieved in 2019, and that he founded the “Wine Bolnisi” producers’ association.

• 1900 – family winemaking begins in Ratevani, Rkatsiteli grapes, Shvaba method in oak vats (great-grandfather)
• Mid-20th century – tradition continued by the father, Vazha
• 2015 – brothers Guram and Giorgi found Brothers Cellar and revive qvevri winemaking
• 2019 – “Bolnisi” wine registered as a Protected Designation of Origin in Georgia
• Present day – two hectares under vine, about 16,000 bottles produced annually, roughly ten wines in the range

Vineyards, grapes and method

The winery’s vineyards are planted in the villages of Khatisopeli and Ratevani, in the Bolnisi municipality, with a combined area of two hectares, mainly Rkatsiteli. The winery describes its aim as presenting the terroir diversity of Bolnisi through wines made from local grape varieties. Three production methods are used side by side: qvevri, classic (European, including barrel ageing) and the Bolnisi or Shvaba method.

The winery describes its Shvaba (Bolnisi) technology as involving four weeks of skin contact, producing a wine with sweet yellow and white fruit aromas, lively acidity, notes of banana, pear and apple, and a long finish with spice and cinnamon undertones.

Grape varieties used across the range, as listed by the winery, include Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Tavkveri, Chinuri, Asureuli Shavi, Tsolikouri, Shavkapito and Aladasturi. The winery also produces a pet-nat and a liqueur wine under the name “Margalita”, an apple cider, chacha, and two experimental wines, “Bovi” and “Anpenti”. Bolnisi lies within historic Kvemo Kartli, an area where, the winery notes, archaeological finds at sites such as Arukhlo Gora, Gadachrili Gora, Shulaveri Gora and Khramis Didi Gora point to grapevine domestication dating to the sixth and fifth millennia BC, part of the evidence behind Georgia’s 8,000-year wine history and UNESCO’s 2013 recognition of qvevri winemaking as intangible cultural heritage.

The wines

• Rkatsiteli (2022, 2024) – white, Rkatsiteli grape, the winery’s standard white bottling.
• Saperavi (2019, 2022, 2023) – red, Saperavi grape, produced across different vintages.
• Bolnisi Saperavi 2019 – red, Saperavi, PDO-designated Bolnisi bottling.
• Aladasturi-Saperavi (2023 and a standard blend) – red, blend of Aladasturi and Saperavi.
• Saperavi-Tavkveri-Shavkapito – red, blend of the three named grape varieties.
• Ratevani – red, named after the family’s historic home village.
• Asureuli Shavi – red, local dark-skinned variety from the Asureti area.
• Kvati – listed among the winery’s bottlings; style not further described on the website.
• Pet-nat “Margalita” – sparkling, made using the pétillant-naturel method.
• Liqueur “Margalita” 1987 – a liqueur-style wine.
• Family set, Friends set, Holidays set – mixed cases of the winery’s wines, together with a Bolnisi-style decanter sold separately.
• Bovi and Anpenti – the winery’s two signature experimental wines, produced annually in varying styles.

Bottle prices stated on the winery’s online shop range from about 18 to 50 Georgian lari for single bottles, with the “Kvati” bottling at 297 lari, the family set at 143 lari, the friends’ set at 110 lari and the holidays’ set at 85 lari.

Visiting

The winery’s website does not publish set opening hours, a tasting menu or a booking system; visits appear to be arranged directly through the contact details given on the site, by phone or email. The website lists a contact phone number and email address, and sells its wines directly through an online shop with delivery by the bottle, mixed set or case.

Food and stays

The winery’s website does not describe an on-site restaurant or guesthouse. It does mention the winery’s participation in regional events, including the Asureti Wine Festival, where it invites visitors to taste its wines under the name “Brothers Khutsishvili’s Cellar,” and a “Bolnisi Night” event held on a market terrace in Bolnisi showcasing wines from the area.

Awards

The winery lists a number of competition results on its website, including:

• Expo Georgia – gold for its Rkatsiteli (2015 harvest), described by the winery as the first bottled wine from Bolnisi to win the award
• Georgian Wine Guild Top 5 – second place for Bolnisi Saperavi
• Georgian Wine Guild, Kartli wine competition – barrel-aged “Bovi” (2020 harvest) placed among the best
• Sommeliers’ Choice, Expo Georgia – Budeshuri Saperavi 2019
• Merano Wine Festival (32nd edition) – gold medal for Bolnisi Vardisferi (rosé, European method)
• Expo Georgia International Competition – silver medal for Bolnisi Red (Tavkveri, PDO), 2023
• International Saperavi competition – bronze medal for Saperavi
• British wine competition (2022) – award for Bolnisi Saperavi 2022
• PDO wine competition – gold medal for Asureuli Shala 2022, described by the winery as the only gold awarded to a Bolnisi producer that year
• IWSC Wine Competition – silver medal for Saperavi 2022 (European method, oak-aged, limited to 300 bottles), and separately a bronze medal noted for the PDO Bolnisi Red Tavkveri 2022
• Bolnisi PDO Wine Festival – gold medal, 2023, and a bronze medal for Saperavi Qvevri 2022

Location and getting there

Brothers Cellar is located at Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Street 120, in the town of Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli, postcode 1100. Bolnisi lies in the Mashavera river valley at an elevation of about 650 metres, roughly 58 kilometres south of Tbilisi. The municipality borders Marneuli to the east, Dmanisi to the west, Tetritskaro to the north and Armenia to the south. A visit to the winery can be combined with other wineries in the Bolnisi area, which has become known as a PDO wine zone in its own right, as well as with the nearby archaeological sites associated with early viticulture in Kvemo Kartli.

Good to know

• Address: Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Street 120, Bolnisi 1100, Georgia
• About 58 kilometres (roughly an hour’s drive) south of Tbilisi
• Family winery founded by brothers Guram and Giorgi in 2015, building on a family winemaking tradition dating to 1900
• Two hectares under vine in the villages of Khatisopeli and Ratevani
• Annual production of about 16,000 bottles across roughly ten wines
• Wines made using qvevri, classic (European) and Bolnisi (Shvaba) methods
• Wines exported to Australia, Austria, Germany, China, Belgium and Portugal, according to the winery
• No published visiting hours or tasting menu; contact the winery directly to arrange a visit

Questions travellers ask

Is Brothers Cellar open for tastings without an appointment?

The winery’s website gives no fixed opening hours or walk-in tasting programme. Visitors are advised to contact the winery in advance by phone or email to arrange a visit.

What grape varieties does Brothers Cellar work with?

The winery lists Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Tavkveri, Chinuri, Asureuli Shavi, Tsolikouri, Shavkapito and Aladasturi among the varieties it uses, alongside its pet-nat, liqueur wine, cider and chacha.

Does the winery use qvevri or European winemaking methods?

Both. The winery states that it produces wine using three methods: traditional qvevri fermentation, classic European technique (including oak barrel ageing), and the local Bolnisi or Shvaba method, which involves around four weeks of skin contact.

How far is Brothers Cellar from Tbilisi?

The winery is in Bolnisi, about 58 kilometres south of the capital, in the Mashavera river valley within the Kvemo Kartli region.

Has Brothers Cellar won any wine awards?

Yes. The winery lists medals from competitions including Expo Georgia, the Merano Wine Festival, the IWSC Wine Competition, the Georgian Wine Guild and Bolnisi’s own PDO wine festival, for wines such as its Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Bolnisi Vardisferi (rosé) and Asureuli Shala.

Sources

• brothers cellar — official website (brotherscellar.ge)
• brothers cellar: ჩვენ შესახებ
• brothers cellar: ადგილმდებარეობა
• brothers cellar: მარნის ისტორია
• brothers cellar: ჯილდოები
• brothers cellar: კონტაქტი
• brothers cellar: info@brotherscellar.ge

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.