By Mariam Lomidze, Culture & Events Reporter · 31/10/2026
- Visit during Georgia's autumn harvest season to see qvevri winemaking traditions in active practice, not just on display.
- Combine the estate with Vani's Colchian archaeological museum for a single day trip blending ancient history and wine heritage.
- Use Kutaisi as your base, as it offers practical transport links into Vani and the wider Imereti countryside.
In the village of Shua Gora, just outside Vani in western Georgia, the Liluashvili Estate keeps alive a style of winemaking that predates most of the country’s modern wine tourism infrastructure. At its heart is a cellar said to be around two centuries old, where wine is still fermented and aged in qvevri, the large clay vessels buried underground that remain central to Georgian winemaking and are recognised by UNESCO as part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage. This is not a polished production facility built for large tour groups; it is a working family site, with a small museum attached that traces the estate’s own history alongside the broader story of Imeretian winemaking.
October suits a visit here particularly well. This is the tail end of Georgia’s grape harvest season, rtveli, when the rhythms of rural wine villages are at their most visible, from grapes being pressed to qvevri being sealed for the months ahead. Visitors can expect the practical, unhurried hospitality typical of family-run estates: a meal of Imeretian cuisine, the region’s distinct culinary style built around dishes like khachapuri imeruli and bean and cheese preparations, served alongside the estate’s own qvevri wine. The grounds themselves add to the appeal, with a river running through the property, a fish pond, a barbecue area and a small family hotel with views over the surrounding countryside, making it a place where a short wine stop can easily extend into a longer, more relaxed stay.
Pairing a visit with Vani’s ancient history
Vani offers more than wine. The town is one of Georgia’s most significant archaeological sites, home to the remains of an ancient Colchian settlement and a museum housing finds from that civilisation, which flourished in this part of western Georgia well before the Roman era. For travellers with an interest in early history, combining a morning at the Vani archaeological museum with an afternoon at Liluashvili Estate makes for a coherent day trip that links the region’s ancient past with its living wine traditions. Kutaisi, Imereti’s main city, is within reach and functions as a convenient base, with onward transport links across the region.
This estate suits independent travellers and small groups drawn to low-key, rural wine experiences rather than large-scale tasting rooms, especially those already building an Imereti itinerary around archaeology, nature and regional food culture.
Read more on gtour.ge: Imereti · Liluashvili Estate — Wine in Imereti, Georgia
Wine of the day — a daily GTour desk feature drawn from the verified-place register and our destination guides. Not sponsored.
Source: Georgian National Tourism Administration — official register (georgia.travel)
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Source: Georgian National Tourism Administration — official register (georgia.travel). Reported by the GTour desk; updated 31 October 2026, 11:45 (Tbilisi).
