Black Sea Wine Festival in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

The Black Sea Wine Festival (Georgian: shavi zghvis ghvinis pestivali, shavi zghva meaning “black sea” and ghvino meaning “wine,” with pestivali a direct loanword from the international “festival”) is an open-air tasting event held on Batumi’s Old Boulevard, the city’s oldest seafront park. Unlike Georgia’s church feasts, it is not tied to the liturgical calendar; it is a civic and tourism event organized to bring winemakers from across the country to the coast during the height of summer.

The festival draws growers and marani (winery) owners from Kakheti, Imereti, Racha, Kartli and Adjara itself, alongside visitors who are often first encountering Georgian wine on holiday rather than at its historic source. It sits within a broader, government-backed effort to position Georgia — recognized for its ancient qvevri winemaking method — as a wine-tourism destination equal in appeal to its mountains and churches, and it gives Batumi’s beach crowd a direct, informal introduction to a culture usually associated with inland family cellars and rural harvest feasts.

Historical background

• c. 6000 BCE — Archaeological evidence from the South Caucasus, including residue found in buried clay vessels, points to Georgia as one of the earliest regions where grapes were deliberately fermented into wine.
• Antiquity–Middle Ages — Viticulture develops across Georgia’s river valleys, with regional grape varieties and the underground qvevri jar remaining the core technology of fermentation and storage for millennia.
• 19th century — Adjara, under Ottoman and then Russian administration, develops a subtropical economy oriented toward citrus and tea rather than large-scale viticulture, though indigenous coastal grapes such as Chkhaveri continue to be grown in small plots.
• 1880s — Batumi’s seafront promenade, today called Old Boulevard, is laid out as the city develops into a Black Sea port, later becoming the festival’s venue.
• Soviet period — State planning concentrates Georgia’s major wine production in Kakheti and Imereti; Adjara’s wine culture persists at a smaller, household scale.
• 2013 — The ancient Georgian traditional qvevri wine-making method is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, drawing international attention to Georgian wine.
• 2010s — The National Wine Agency and regional tourism authorities expand promotion of Georgian wine abroad, and Batumi authorities begin organizing a dedicated seafront wine event to extend wine tourism to the coast.
• Recent years — The Black Sea Wine Festival becomes an annual fixture of Batumi’s summer calendar, held on Old Boulevard and coordinated by the Adjara regional administration and Batumi City Hall each year.

Georgia’s standing as one of the world’s oldest wine-producing countries rests on both archaeological evidence and an unbroken line of practice: the qvevri, a large egg-shaped clay vessel buried in the ground for fermentation and aging, remains in active use in family cellars across the country, a continuity formally recognized by UNESCO’s inscription of the method. Adjara’s own relationship to wine is more modest than Kakheti’s, shaped by a Soviet-era economy built on tea plantations and citrus orchards along the humid coastal strip. Indigenous grapes native to the region, chiefly the pale-skinned Chkhaveri, survived in small quantities even while large state wineries developed elsewhere.

The Black Sea Wine Festival emerged from a deliberate effort to connect this older, inland wine culture with Batumi’s large seasonal tourist population, most of whom arrive for the beach rather than the vineyard. By bringing producers to the boulevard rather than asking visitors to travel to Kakheti or Racha, organizers created an accessible entry point to Georgian wine, set against the backdrop of the Black Sea rather than the Caucasus foothills. It now takes its place alongside other Georgian wine events, such as Tbilisi’s spring New Wine Festival and the autumn Tsinandali Festival in Kakheti, as part of a calendar built around the country’s growing wine-tourism identity.

Meaning and traditions

Visitors move between winery stands along the boulevard, sampling glasses or bottles while producers explain their grape varieties and methods, including qvevri-aged wines. A tamada, or toastmaster, is a central figure at any Georgian table, and informal toasting customs often carry over into the festival’s social atmosphere even outside a formal supra (feast table): a common toast is gaumarjos, meaning roughly “may you be victorious,” offered before drinking.

Food stalls typically serve Acharuli khachapuri, the boat-shaped cheese bread topped with a raw egg that is Adjara’s signature dish, alongside grilled meats, fresh herbs and bread. Some stands offer chacha, the strong grape-pomace spirit distilled after pressing, and churchkhela, the candle-shaped string of walnuts coated in grape must, as a sweet counterpart to the wine. Grape varieties on offer range from Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, Georgia’s best-known white and red, to regional varieties such as Tsolikouri from Imereti and the Adjarian Chkhaveri, often made into a pale rosé.

Live music and dance performances, including the vigorous Acharuli dance associated with the region, are usually staged alongside the tastings. The festival differs in character from Kakheti’s autumn Rtveli, the family grape harvest involving the whole household and the treading of grapes by hand, and from Tbilisi’s spring New Wine Festival; the Batumi event is more urban and tourist-facing, framed by seaside promenading and evening entertainment rather than agrarian ritual.

When it happens

The festival has no fixed date tied to a religious or agricultural calendar; it is a civic event scheduled by Batumi’s municipal and Adjara regional tourism authorities, usually for one weekend in mid-August, during the peak of the Black Sea tourist season. Exact dates are typically confirmed only a few months in advance rather than set years ahead. The organizers have provisionally indicated 14–15 August 2027 for the next edition, subject to confirmation closer to the date; visitors planning around the 2026 or 2027 event should check current notices from Batumi’s municipal and tourism channels before booking travel.

The festival is not a public holiday. Shops, restaurants and transport in Batumi operate normally; the event itself takes place as an outdoor gathering on the boulevard rather than disrupting the wider city schedule.

Where to experience it

The festival is staged on Batumi’s Old Boulevard (Dzveli Bulvari), the long seafront park running along the city’s historic waterfront, typically near the park’s central promenade and open stage areas. Activity usually runs from late afternoon into the evening, when temperatures ease and the boulevard’s lighting and sea views add to the atmosphere. Tastings are generally offered for a small per-sample fee or token system at each winery’s stand; it is courteous to accept a small pour rather than ask for a full glass at every stand, and to accept a toast rather than decline it outright. As a secular, outdoor event, there are no church-visit rules to observe, though modest, comfortable summer dress is appropriate given the heat and evening crowds.

Did you know

• Archaeological evidence places the origins of wine fermentation in the South Caucasus, including present-day Georgia, among the earliest known anywhere in the world.
• The ancient Georgian qvevri method of winemaking was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
• Georgia is home to several hundred documented indigenous grape varieties, among the highest diversity recorded for any wine-producing country, according to the National Wine Agency.
• Adjara’s native grape, Chkhaveri, is traditionally used to make a pale rosé, distinct from the deep reds associated with Kakheti’s Saperavi.
• Batumi’s Old Boulevard, the festival’s venue, dates to the 1880s and is among the oldest seaside public parks in the wider Caucasus region.

Practical tips for visitors

Batumi is reached by air via Batumi International Airport, or by road and rail from Tbilisi and other regions. The boulevard is within walking distance of most central hotels, and taxis and minibuses (marshrutka) serve the wider city. August is peak coastal tourist season, so accommodation should be booked well ahead, and prices run higher than in shoulder months. Expect hot, humid weather with occasional evening showers; light summer clothing is appropriate, with a layer for the sea breeze after dark. Both cash and cards are generally accepted at festival stands, though carrying some cash is advisable. Confirm the exact festival dates with Batumi’s municipal or regional tourism offices shortly before travel, since they are set annually rather than fixed in advance.

Combine it with

The festival pairs naturally with a wider visit to Adjara, Batumi’s home region, and with trips into Georgia’s principal wine country in Kakheti or the volcanic vineyards of Imereti, both of which supply many of the wineries seen on Batumi’s boulevard.

Questions travellers ask

Is the Black Sea Wine Festival free to attend?

Entry to the boulevard area is typically open and free; individual wine and food samples are usually paid for by the glass, token, or small fee at each stand.

Do I need to book tickets in advance?

The festival itself generally does not require advance tickets, but accommodation in Batumi should be booked early for mid-August, when the city is at peak capacity.

What wines will be poured?

Expect a wide range, from widely planted varieties such as Rkatsiteli and Saperavi to regional grapes like Adjara’s Chkhaveri and Imereti’s Tsolikouri, including both conventional and qvevri-aged styles.

Is it suitable for children and families?

The event is an open-air seafront gathering with music and food stalls alongside the wine tastings, so families can attend comfortably, though the core activity centers on adult tastings.

How do I get to Batumi for the festival?

Batumi is served by its own international airport, by rail and road links from Tbilisi, and by domestic flights and buses from other Georgian cities.

Where can I stay during the festival?

Hotels and guesthouses line the boulevard and surrounding streets; booking several weeks ahead is recommended, since August is Batumi’s busiest tourist month.

Is English spoken at the festival?

Many winery representatives and festival staff speak some English, particularly those accustomed to export markets and tourism, though Georgian and Russian remain widely used.

What else is happening in Batumi around the same time?

Mid-August coincides with Batumi’s full summer season, including beach activities, Old Town nightlife, and other cultural events along the boulevard and in the city center, which visitors often combine with the festival in a single trip.

Sources

• National Wine Agency of Georgia
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage – Qvevri wine-making method
• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Batumi City Hall
• Visit Batumi
• GoBatumi