By Mariam Lomidze, Culture & Events Reporter · 15/11/2026
- Plan a Kutaisi base and treat the marani as a short countryside detour alongside the city's cathedrals and caves.
- Expect a modest, family-run setting rather than a polished visitor center — ideal if you prefer authenticity over spectacle.
- Combine with other Imereti stops for a quieter alternative to the busier Kakheti wine route, especially suited to off-peak November travel.
Imereti rarely gets the attention that Kakheti does when travelers plan a Georgian wine trip, and that is precisely its appeal. Nikoladzeebis Marani, a small cellar on 12th Street in the Imeretian countryside, sits well off the busier eastern wine routes, offering a more intimate encounter with the qvevri traditions that define western Georgian winemaking. November, with its thinned-out crowds and crisp mountain air, is a fitting time to seek it out.
Why visit in November
By mid-November, the harvest bustle of early autumn has settled, and the Imeretian countryside takes on a calmer rhythm. Orchards around the cellar carry their late-season color, and the surrounding hills and river valleys are easier to appreciate without the summer haze or crowds. This is a season for slower travel, and a family-run marani like this one rewards exactly that kind of unhurried curiosity, where visitors can take time to understand qvevri winemaking rather than rush through a tasting.
Imereti’s wine culture has its own character, distinct from the more famous Kakhetian style, and a stop here is a chance to see how qvevri cellars function in a less commercialized setting. It suits travelers who prefer small, personal wine stops over large-scale wineries, and who are drawn to regions that feel lived-in rather than curated for tourism.
Getting there is straightforward. The cellar sits near Kutaisi, Imereti’s historic regional capital, known for its cathedrals and the cave systems nearby. Kutaisi is well connected by road to both eastern and western Georgia, making it a sensible waypoint whether you are crossing the country or looping through the wine regions specifically. From Kutaisi, the marani is a short, manageable drive into the surrounding countryside.
This makes it easy to combine a visit with a broader day exploring Kutaisi’s cathedrals and cave sites, before or after stopping at the cellar. Travelers building a longer Georgian wine itinerary might pair it with other Imeretian stops, using the region as a quieter counterpoint to the more touristic Kakhetian route. For those who enjoy discovering wine culture through smaller, family-run cellars rather than polished visitor centers, Nikoladzeebis Marani offers a grounded, low-key entry point into Imereti’s winemaking heritage.
Read more on gtour.ge: Imereti · NIKOLADZEEBIS MARANI — 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 15 November 2026, 11:45 (Tbilisi).
