Iago Winery — Wine in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia

In short

Iago Winery, known locally as Iago’s Wine, is a small family winery in the village of Chardakhi, in the Mukhrani Valley of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, about half an hour from Tbilisi. The winery says it was the first in Georgia to receive organic (Bio) certification, in 2005, and it works with a single grape variety, Chinuri, grown on vines the winery states are more than 60 years old. Wine is fermented and aged in qvevri, the traditional buried clay vessels of Georgian winemaking, and the winery says its annual production is around 10,000 bottles. Visits are by appointment and centre on a cellar tour and tasting led personally by Iago, the winemaker. A family guesthouse on site offers overnight stays.

The estate and its history

According to the winery’s own account, its focus has always been organic viticulture and winemaking in the Mukhrani Valley, an area of Kartli long associated with vine growing. The winery states that it was the first operation in Georgia to obtain Bio certification, in 2005, a step that formalised practices it says were already in use in its two hectares of vineyard in Chardakhi. The vines themselves are described by the winery as more than 60 years old, making them a mature, established planting rather than a recent one. The winery frames its work as a continuation of traditional chalk-based, ecological methods applied to the vineyard, the grapes and the winemaking itself.

• 2005 — the winery states it became the first in Georgia to receive Bio (organic) certification.
• Present day — the winery reports cultivating 2 hectares of Chinuri vines, aged 60 years or more, in Chardakhi village, Mukhrani Valley.
• Present day — annual production stated at around 10,000 bottles, with the winery noting that all of it is exported, alongside sales through on-site tastings and the guesthouse.

Vineyards, grapes and method

The winery’s vineyard covers 2 hectares in Chardakhi, a village in the Mukhrani Valley within the Mtskheta region. The winery describes this plot as one of the historically notable sites of the valley, planted entirely with Chinuri, which it calls one of the finest white grape varieties of Georgia. The vines are said to be more than 60 years old.

The winery’s website gives some background on the Chinuri variety itself, noting that it is indigenous to the Kartli region and is believed, according to the scholar Ivane Javakhishvili as cited by the winery, to take its name from the golden, “chini”-like colour its leaves and grapes develop at full ripeness — a naming pattern the winery compares to other Georgian varieties named for colour, such as Shavkapito or Tsolikouri.

Winemaking follows the qvevri method: grapes are fermented using wild, natural yeasts with no additives, and the wine is aged in the traditional marani, or wine cellar. The amber-style wine spends six months on its skins in qvevri, while the white is made without skin contact. The winery describes its approach throughout as organic and natural, in keeping with its certification.

The wines

• Chinuri Amber — amber dry wine, 100% Chinuri, macerated on its skins for six months in qvevri; the winery describes notes of dried apricot, honey and subtle tannins.
• Chinuri White — white dry wine, 100% Chinuri, made without skin contact; the winery describes notes of green apple, citrus and white flowers.
• Pet Nat — a natural sparkling wine, offered as an optional add-on to the tasting at 60 GEL for a 0.75 L bottle, according to the winery.

Visiting

The winery offers a Winery Tour & Tasting led personally by Iago. The winery describes this as including a guided tour of the cellar, an introduction to the traditional qvevri winemaking process, and a tasting of three wines plus chacha. The tasting is accompanied by appetisers that the winery lists as homemade bread, two types of cheese, nuts, olives, family-made pesto and sauce, and seasonal fruit.

The stated price is 60 GEL per person. A bottle of the estate’s Pet Nat sparkling wine can be added for 60 GEL. The winery gives the duration of the experience as approximately 1.5 to 2 hours (a separate summary on the same site rounds this to 2–3 hours).

Regular opening days are stated as Saturday and Sunday, 12:00–18:00. For groups of five or more, the winery says visits can be arranged on other days by request. Advance booking is required in all cases; tastings are not offered on a drop-in basis. To reserve, the winery lists the contact details as tour@iago.ge or +995 599 551 045, with guests asked to specify the number of visitors and preferred arrival time.

Food and stays

Iago Winery operates a family guesthouse on site, which it describes as offering comfortable rooms, home-cooked Georgian cuisine, and mountain views over the surrounding vineyard landscape. Wine tasting is listed as available as an extra for guesthouse stays. The winery directs bookings for the guesthouse through Booking.com.

Awards

The winery does not list formal competition awards on its site. It does list press coverage, citing features in Vinitaly’s “Wine Without Walls,” Vogue (“Orange Wine Fall Drinking”), the New York Times (“52 Places to Go in 2015”), Forbes (“9 Best Wines to Start Drinking in 2015”), the Los Angeles Times (“Wines from Georgia”), and two pieces in the Guardian, one on wines from the “cradle of winemaking” and another on the best wines of the ancient world.

Location and getting there

Iago Winery is located in the village of Chardakhi, Mtskheta, Georgia, 3318, within the Mukhrani Valley of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. Mtskheta itself, Georgia’s ancient capital and a UNESCO World Heritage town, lies a short drive away, and Tbilisi is generally reckoned to be around 30–40 minutes by car from Chardakhi, making the winery a feasible stop combined with a visit to Mtskheta’s churches or other wineries in the Mukhrani Valley. Visitors should arrange transport in advance, as the winery operates by appointment rather than as a walk-in attraction, and should confirm directions when booking, since Chardakhi is a village rather than a signposted commercial site.

Good to know

• Visits are strictly by appointment; there is no walk-in tasting.
• Regular tasting hours are Saturday and Sunday, 12:00–18:00; other days are possible for groups of five or more.
• The standard tour and tasting costs 60 GEL per person and lasts roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, according to the winery.
• A bottle of the estate’s Pet Nat sparkling wine can be added to the tasting for 60 GEL.
• The winery produces only Chinuri-based wines, made in qvevri, with organic certification since 2005.
• Overnight stays are available at the family guesthouse, bookable via Booking.com.
• Bookings and inquiries for tastings go through tour@iago.ge or +995 599 551 045; wholesale and export inquiries go through wine@iago.ge.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need to book in advance to visit Iago Winery?

Yes. The winery states that tastings are available by prior booking only, and asks visitors to contact it by email or phone with the number of guests and preferred arrival time.

What does the tasting include?

According to the winery, it includes a guided tour of the cellar, an explanation of the qvevri winemaking process, a tasting of three wines plus chacha, and appetisers such as homemade bread, two types of cheese, nuts, olives, family-made pesto and sauce, and seasonal fruit, for 60 GEL per person.

What grape variety does Iago Winery use?

The winery works exclusively with Chinuri, an indigenous white grape of the Kartli region, grown on vines it describes as more than 60 years old in its Chardakhi vineyard.

Can I stay overnight at the winery?

Yes. The winery operates a family guesthouse with rooms, home-cooked Georgian food, and wine tasting available as an optional extra, bookable through Booking.com.

How far is Iago Winery from Tbilisi?

The winery is in Chardakhi village in the Mukhrani Valley, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, near Mtskheta. It is generally within about half an hour to 40 minutes’ drive from Tbilisi, making it feasible to combine with a visit to Mtskheta’s historic sites.

Sources

• Iago Winery — official website (iago.ge)

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 28 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.