Chateau Ateni — Wine in Shida Kartli, Georgia

In short

Chateau Ateni is a small family winery in the Ateni valley, Shida Kartli, about ten minutes by car south of Gori and roughly an hour and a half from Tbilisi. The estate says it was founded in 2010 by Ioseb (Soso) Vanishvili, who planted the first vineyard on land that had carried vines in Soviet times before being abandoned. The winery focuses on indigenous Kartli grape varieties, works with both still and sparkling wines, and since 2023–24 has added five wooden cottages and a family restaurant alongside the tasting cellar. According to the winery, it was the first producer in its district to make classical-method sparkling wine and, in 2021, the first to release a pet-nat from Goruli Mtsvane and Chinuri.

The estate and its history

Chateau Ateni describes itself as a young winery on old winegrowing land. The Ateni valley has been associated with viticulture and with Georgian sparkling wine since at least the 11th century, the winery says, a tradition in which qvevri were sealed while still fermenting so that the wine, opened in spring, was still lively and effervescent. Soso Vanishvili still greets guests personally, the winery says, guiding them through the vineyard and leading tastings himself.

• 2010 – Ioseb (Soso) Vanishvili plants the first vineyard in the Ateni microzone of Shida Kartli.
• 2015 – the estate brings in its first good harvest.
• 2016 – the first bottle is filled and a tasting cellar opens on site.
• 2020 – the winery says it received a “Best Small Winery” title.
• 2021 – the first pet-nat, made from Goruli Mtsvane and Chinuri, is released.
• 2023–24 – five wooden cottages and a family restaurant are built next to the cellar.

Vineyards, grapes and method

The vineyard lies about 400 metres from the cellar, on the northern slopes of the Trialeti range within the Ateni microzone, at an altitude the winery associates with the wider Atenuri appellation of roughly 580–750 metres. The winery says the site offers clean air and mineral-rich soil. Grapes are picked by hand at full ripeness, the winery says, and vines are tended using traditional, low-intervention methods.

The varieties grown are indigenous to Kartli: Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, white Budeshuri, Tavkveri, Buza and Shavkapito. Wines are aged in oak barrels after fermentation, which the winery describes as organic and fully supervised from start to finish. The estate makes both still wines and sparkling wines, including a classical-method Atenuri Brut and pet-nat cuvées. The winery notes that Ateni is home to Georgia’s only Protected Designation of Origin reserved specifically for sparkling wine, recognised internationally under the EU–Georgia geographical indications agreement; Atenuri wine is traditionally made from Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane, with Aligoté also permitted.

The wines

• 2023 Atenuri – white wine – PDO white blend from the Ateni valley, 40 GEL.
• 2022 Chinuri – white wine – single-variety white from the local Chinuri grape, 40 GEL.
• 2023 Tavkveri Rosé – rosé wine – made from the red Tavkveri grape, 40 GEL.
• 2023 Khidistauri – red wine – red bottling named after the site, 40 GEL.
• 2018 Atenuri Brut – sparkling wine – classical-method sparkling wine under the Atenuri designation, 50 GEL.
• 2021 Buza – red wine – single-variety red from the rare Buza grape, 60 GEL.
• 2022 Pet-Nat Brut – sparkling wine – natural sparkling wine made by the ancestral method, 50 GEL.
• 2024 Elisabedi Rosé Brut – sparkling wine – rosé sparkling wine, 50 GEL.
• 2022 Goruli Mtsvane – white wine – single-variety white from Goruli Mtsvane, 40 GEL.
• 2022 Pet-Nat Rosé – sparkling wine – rosé pet-nat, 50 GEL.

The winery says its range altogether includes six dry wines, four sparkling wines and three styles of chacha.

Visiting

Chateau Ateni is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and tastings begin on the hour throughout the day. A visit lasts about 90 minutes and is hosted by a member of the family, often the winemaker himself, in Georgian, English or Russian. The winery says it welcomes everyone from solo travellers and couples to groups of up to 100 guests, and describes itself as a small family estate rather than a mass-tourism stop.

A standard visit includes a walk through the vineyard and cellar where the wine is aged, an explanation of the Atenuri designation and its grape varieties, and a tasting that moves from the Atenuri and Chinuri wines through to the Brut and pet-nat sparkling wines. Traditional Georgian dishes from the family restaurant can be added on request.

Prices quoted are per guest, with children charged half price; parties under the stated minimum are billed at the minimum headcount. The tasting options are:

• Aperitif – 70 GEL per guest – a homemade sparkling wine served before the meal as an appetite starter, with fruit or ice cream and rose jam; one bottle per five guests.
• Tasting – 50 GEL per guest – four dry wines and three chachas with local cheese, house bread, dried fruit and churchkhela; minimum 3 guests.
• Tasting and dinner – 100 GEL per guest – wine and chacha tasting with a full Georgian dinner of mtsvadi, Kartli-style khachapuri, ajapsandali, salads, cheese, tkemali and churchkhela; minimum 5 guests.
• Premium tasting and dinner – 140 GEL per guest – the dinner menu plus sparkling wine, a hot appetiser and a raspberry jam dessert; minimum 5 guests.

Bookings are made online with a 50 percent deposit, with the balance paid at the winery; cancellations made at least 48 hours before the visit are refunded in full, the winery says. Visits can also be arranged by WhatsApp. The winery says its wines can be bought on site to take home, or ordered online through a listed trade partner.

Food and stays

The family restaurant sits next to the cellar and serves traditional Georgian dishes, including mtsvadi (grilled meat), garden vegetables, homemade jam and other local produce. The winery says a host will act as tamada, leading toasts in the Georgian tradition, when a tasting is paired with a meal.

Five wooden cottages, built in 2023–24, stand on the winery grounds and look out over the vineyard. The winery says each cottage has air conditioning and a private balcony with mountain and vineyard views, and that guests staying overnight step directly out into the vineyard where the wine is made. Transfers can be arranged on request at the time of booking.

Awards

The winery says it received a “Best Small Winery” title in 2020. No further award details are given on the official site.

Location and getting there

Chateau Ateni is located in the village of Ateni, Gori municipality, Shida Kartli, in the valley of the river Tana. The winery says it is about ten minutes by car south of Gori and about an hour and a half by car from Tbilisi. Gori itself lies roughly 85 kilometres west of Tbilisi, about an hour’s drive. The Ateni valley begins some 8–12 kilometres south of Gori, where the Shida Kartli plain meets the northern spurs of the Trialeti range.

The winery suggests combining a visit with the cave city of Uplistsikhe and the 7th-century Ateni Sioni church, both nearby, making the trip an easy day excursion from Tbilisi, or an overnight stay using the on-site cottages.

Good to know

• Open daily, 10:00–18:00; tastings start on the hour.
• Advance booking required, with a 50 percent online deposit; free cancellation up to 48 hours before the visit.
• Tastings run in Georgian, English or Russian.
• Prices are per guest; children pay half price.
• Minimum headcount applies: 3 guests for tastings, 5 for tasting-with-dinner menus.
• Groups from single travellers up to 100 guests are accommodated.
• Five wooden cottages with air conditioning are available next to the cellar.
• Wine can be bought on site or ordered online through the winery’s trade partner.

Questions travellers ask

How much does a tasting cost at Chateau Ateni?

The winery lists a tasting of four dry wines and three chachas with cheese, bread and dried fruit at 50 GEL per guest, an aperitif menu at 70 GEL, a tasting with full Georgian dinner at 100 GEL, and a premium dinner menu with sparkling wine at 140 GEL. Prices are per person, and children pay half price.

Do I need to book in advance?

Yes. The winery asks guests to book ahead so the wine and food can be prepared, and confirms the visit once a 50 percent online deposit is paid.

Can I buy the wine to take home?

Yes, the winery says bottles can be bought on site, and orders can also be placed online through its listed trade partner.

Is Chateau Ateni suitable for groups?

The winery says it hosts everyone from couples and solo travellers to groups of up to 100 guests, though parties smaller than the stated minimum are charged at the minimum rate.

How do I get to Chateau Ateni from Tbilisi, and what can I combine it with?

The winery is about an hour and a half by car from Tbilisi and about ten minutes from Gori. It suggests pairing a visit with the nearby Uplistsikhe cave city and the 7th-century Ateni Sioni church, making it possible to combine all three in a single day trip, or to stay overnight in one of the five cottages on site.

Sources

• Chateau Ateni — official website (chateauateni.ge)
• Chateau Ateni: გაეცანით ჩვენს ღვინოებს
• Chateau Ateni: დაჯავშნეთ დეგუსტაცია
• Chateau Ateni: ატენის შესახებ
• Chateau Ateni: კონტაქტი

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.