Bolnisi Old Cellar — Wine in Kvemo Kartli, Georgia

In short

Bolnisi Old Cellar is a winery based in the town of Bolnisi, in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia, with a listed address at Javakhishvili 11. The winery sells its wine through an online shop operated under the name Bolnisi Agrocenter. Beyond its name, address and location, the winery’s own published materials are limited, and much of the detail that travellers usually look for — founding date, vineyard size, grape varieties, named wines and tasting options — is not set out on its current website. This profile presents what the winery itself states, together with background on Bolnisi and the surrounding wine country that is useful for planning a visit.

The estate and its history

The winery’s own online shop does not give a founding date, a founder’s name or a narrative history of the cellar itself, so no specific timeline for Bolnisi Old Cellar can be stated here with confidence. What can be said with confidence is the broader context in which the winery sits. Bolnisi is one of the older towns of Kvemo Kartli, a region long associated with both viticulture and cereal farming, and it carries a layered history that mixes ancient Georgian Christian heritage with a more recent chapter of European settlement.

The town lies close to the Bolnisi Sioni Basilica, a basilica dated to the fifth century and counted among the earliest surviving church buildings in Georgia, which gives the district a long association with settled, organised rural life, including agriculture and winemaking. In the nineteenth century, Bolnisi (then known as Katharinenfeld) was settled by German colonists, who brought with them European viticultural and brewing practices alongside the area’s existing Georgian winemaking traditions. This dual heritage — ancient Georgian viticulture and nineteenth-century German agricultural influence — is part of the general character of Bolnisi as a wine town, though it is not something the Bolnisi Old Cellar website itself describes in relation to its own operation.

• 5th century: Bolnisi Sioni Basilica built, marking the area’s long Christian and agricultural heritage.
• 19th century: German colonists settle the town, then called Katharinenfeld, bringing European farming and winemaking methods to the district.
• 20th century: Bolnisi renamed and incorporated into the Kvemo Kartli wine-growing region of Soviet and later independent Georgia.
• Present day: Bolnisi Old Cellar operates as a winery and online wine shop at Javakhishvili 11, under the Bolnisi Agrocenter platform.

Because the winery does not publish a detailed company history, readers should treat the timeline above as regional background rather than a dated account of Bolnisi Old Cellar’s own establishment.

Vineyards, grapes and method

Bolnisi Old Cellar’s website does not state the size of its vineyard holdings, the grape varieties it works with, or whether its wines are made using qvevri (the traditional Georgian clay-vessel method) or European stainless-steel and barrel methods. No production volumes are given either.

For general context, Kvemo Kartli is a wine-growing region historically associated with white grape varieties such as Rkatsiteli and Chinuri, alongside local reds including Shavkapito, and the area has a mixed tradition of both qvevri and European-style winemaking. Travellers should treat this as background on the wider region rather than as a confirmed description of Bolnisi Old Cellar’s own vineyards, since the winery itself has not published these specifics.

The wines

The winery’s online shop lists wine for sale, but the source material available does not provide individual wine names, grape composition, vintages or tasting notes that can be reliably reproduced here. Prospective buyers and visitors are advised to consult the Bolnisi Agrocenter online shop directly, or to contact the winery, for an up-to-date list of specific labels and prices.

• Specific wine names, styles and grape varieties are not stated on the available winery materials.

Visiting

No information is published on the winery’s site regarding cellar tours, tasting sessions, opening hours, booking procedures or visit pricing. Travellers interested in visiting Bolnisi Old Cellar in person should contact the winery in advance, through its online shop or by visiting the Javakhishvili 11 address, to confirm whether tastings or tours can be arranged and what they might involve.

Food and stays

The winery’s available materials do not mention an on-site restaurant, guesthouse or event facilities. Visitors wanting a meal or overnight stay in connection with a visit should plan to use Bolnisi town’s own restaurants and guesthouses, or combine the visit with lodging in Tbilisi.

Awards

No awards, medals or competition results are stated on the winery’s published materials.

Location and getting there

Bolnisi Old Cellar is located at Javakhishvili 11, in the town of Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli region. Bolnisi lies roughly 65 kilometres south of Tbilisi, a drive that typically takes a little over an hour by car, making it a feasible half-day or full-day excursion from the capital. The town is often visited together with the nearby Bolnisi Sioni Basilica and other historic sites of Kvemo Kartli, and can be combined with stops at other wineries or agricultural producers in the wider Bolnisi and Kvemo Kartli wine districts. Travellers without their own transport typically reach Bolnisi from Tbilisi by marshrutka (minibus) from the capital’s intercity bus stations, or by hired car or private driver, the latter being more practical for combining the winery with other regional sights in a single day.

Good to know

• Address: Javakhishvili 11, Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia.
• Distance from Tbilisi: approximately 65 kilometres, around 1 to 1.5 hours by road.
• The winery operates an online shop through the Bolnisi Agrocenter platform.
• Detailed information on wine names, grape varieties and production methods is not currently published by the winery.
• Tasting, tour, opening-hours and pricing details are not stated; contact the winery directly before planning a visit.
• No restaurant or guesthouse is mentioned in connection with the winery.
• Bolnisi can be combined with a visit to the nearby fifth-century Bolnisi Sioni Basilica.
• Marshrutka, private car or hired driver are the main ways to reach Bolnisi from Tbilisi.

Questions travellers ask

What wines does Bolnisi Old Cellar produce?

The winery’s online shop sells wine, but specific wine names, grape varieties and vintages are not detailed in the available source material, so interested buyers should check the shop directly or contact the winery for current offerings.

Can visitors tour the cellar or taste wine on site?

No tour or tasting information is published by the winery. Anyone wanting to visit in person should contact Bolnisi Old Cellar in advance to ask whether a visit can be arranged.

How far is Bolnisi from Tbilisi, and how do I get there?

Bolnisi is about 65 kilometres from Tbilisi, roughly an hour to an hour and a half by road. It can be reached by marshrutka from Tbilisi, by hired car, or with a private driver, the last option being convenient for combining the trip with other Kvemo Kartli sights.

Is Bolnisi Old Cellar part of a larger winemaking tradition in the area?

Bolnisi and the wider Kvemo Kartli region have a long winemaking history, shaped both by traditional Georgian methods and by nineteenth-century German settlers who brought European agricultural practices to the area. However, the winery’s own site does not describe how, or whether, Bolnisi Old Cellar’s own production connects to these traditions.

What else is there to see near the winery?

The fifth-century Bolnisi Sioni Basilica, one of Georgia’s oldest surviving churches, is near the town and is commonly visited alongside other Kvemo Kartli sites, making it easy to combine a stop at the winery with some regional sightseeing.

Sources

• Bolnisi Old Cellar — official website (bolnisiagrocenter.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.