Kvareli Wine Cave — Wine in Kakheti, Georgia

In short

Kvareli Wine Cave is a wine-ageing tunnel and visitor complex cut into the rock of the Caucasus foothills above the Alazani Valley, in the Meurneoba district of Kvareli, Kakheti. It belongs to Winery Khareba, a Georgian producer with vineyards in both Kakheti and western Georgia, and combines a working cellar, a bottled-wine library, a recreation park, masterclasses, tastings and a restaurant on one site.

The estate and its history

The winery says the cave was carved into the Caucasus rock massif and opened in 1962, built specifically to host the World Congress of Vine and Wine. It was designed from the outset as a cellar rather than a natural formation, with a tunnel system that now also serves as a tourist route. Winery Khareba, the modern company that operates the site today, describes itself as oriented toward preserving unique Georgian vine varieties alongside traditional and European winemaking methods, and runs a second, European-technology winery at Terjola in western Georgia in addition to the Kvareli cellars.

• 1962 — the cave is opened, built for the World Congress of Vine and Wine
• Present day — operated by Winery Khareba as a combined ageing cellar, bottled-wine library and tourist complex
• Present day — a collection vineyard on site holds more than 300 endemic Georgian vine varieties

Vineyards, grapes and method

Winery Khareba says it owns over 1,500 hectares of vineyard across Georgia’s wine regions, cultivating both Georgian and European grape varieties. According to the company, 75 percent of its vineyards lie in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, while the remaining 25 percent are in Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Samegrelo in the west. In western Georgia the company says it promotes rare Georgian varieties such as Krakhuna, Tsolikouri, Tsitska, Aladasturi and Otskhanuri Sapere, alongside European varieties including Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Winery Khareba states that its range covers up to 10 premium wines, 7 appellations of origin, 10 qvevri wines, more than 15 vine varieties and 5 types of basic wine, with over 50 products in total made from up to 30 vine varieties. Production also includes sparkling wine, wine brandy, chacha and grape seed oil. Both the qvevri method and oak-barrel ageing are used, the company says, alongside European winemaking technology at its modern cellars in Kvareli and Terjola.
At the Kvareli Wine Cave specifically, the winery notes that cave temperatures stay at 12–16°C year round, which it says creates suitable conditions for wine storage and ageing; bottles are kept horizontal or upright to keep corks moist during ageing.

The wines

• Kindzmarauli — semi-sweet red made from Saperavi; the winery reports this wine won the Platinum award at the Shanghai International Wine Challenge 2024.
• Saperavi Premium 2018 — dry red from the Saperavi variety; awarded a gold medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2024, according to the winery.
• Usakhelouri — wine from a rare western Georgian variety that the company’s chief winemaker has presented internationally, including in a webinar on its uniqueness.
• K’AVSHIRI wines — a project presented by Winery Khareba’s chief winemaker together with British wine professional Robert Joseph, launched at a presentation in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
• Qvevri wines — part of the company’s qvevri-made range, which the winery says won 3 gold and 1 silver medal at the International Qvevri Wine Competition 2023.

Visitors to the Kvareli Wine Cave can, the company says, taste up to 50 wines from the full Winery Khareba portfolio during a visit, covering whites, reds, qvevri-made wines and sparkling wine, though prices for individual bottles are not published on the official site.

Visiting

The Wine Cave is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, and bookings can be made by phone on +995 591 91 89 41. The winery describes the tourist route as running through one of the two entrances to the tunnel system, the other being reserved for the care and ageing of wines stored in metal and oak containers. On the tour, guests can see the bottled wine cellar, where Winery Khareba says it holds up to 26,000 bottles of its highest-quality wine, including a collectible bottle the company states is 17 years old. The company also lists a programme of masterclasses available to guests, among them baking bread in a traditional oven, dipping churchkhela, roasting barbecue, cooking khinkali and khachapuri, and taking part in grape harvesting and crushing during vintage season. The collection vineyard holding more than 300 Georgian vine varieties is also part of the grounds that can be visited.

Food and stays

The site includes the restaurant “Khareba,” open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, with reservations taken on +995 599 80 85 39. The winery describes it as serving Georgian-European dishes in a setting it calls a restaurant hidden in nature, located in the area of the tunnel. The grounds also hold a recreational park featuring a river, old clay pitchers, a traditional Georgian water mill, a bread bakery, a chacha still, an old cellar with a wine press and pitchers, a trout pond, and huts, according to the company’s description. No guesthouse or overnight accommodation is mentioned on the official site.

Awards

• Shanghai International Wine Challenge 2024 — Platinum award for Kindzmarauli, per the winery.
• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2024 — gold medal for Saperavi Premium 2018, per the winery.
• International Qvevri Wine Competition 2023 — 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal, per the winery.
• Wine Travel Awards 2023–2024 — named jury favourite in the “Visiting Card of the Country” category, per the winery.
• IFS Food certification — the winery states it earned this international food safety and quality standard with the highest rating.

Location and getting there

Kvareli Wine Cave is located in the Meurneoba district of Kvareli, a small town on the edge of the Alazani Valley in Kakheti, at the foot of the Caucasus range. Kvareli lies roughly 150 kilometres from Tbilisi, a drive of around two to two and a half hours along the Kakheti highway. The town sits within easy reach of other Kakheti wine-region stops such as Telavi, Gremi and Sighnaghi, making the cave straightforward to combine with a wider day trip or multi-day wine-route itinerary through the region.

Good to know

• Cave temperature stays at 12–16°C year round, according to the winery.
• The tunnel system totals 7.7 km, made up of two main tunnels and 13 connecting tunnels.
• Only one of the two cave entrances is used for tourist visits; the other is used for wine ageing.
• The bottled wine cellar holds up to 26,000 bottles, with the oldest collectible bottle stated as 17 years old.
• Wine Cave hours: 10:00–20:00 daily; Restaurant hours: 10:00–22:00 daily.
• Booking by phone: Wine Cave +995 591 91 89 41, Restaurant +995 599 80 85 39.
• A collection vineyard on site holds over 300 Georgian vine varieties.
• Tastings on offer can include up to 50 different Winery Khareba wines.

Questions travellers ask

How long is the tunnel at Kvareli Wine Cave?

The winery states the full tunnel network is 7.7 km long, made up of two main tunnels linked by 13 connecting tunnels, though only one entrance is used for the tourist route.

Can visitors taste wine during a visit?

Yes. The winery says guests can taste up to 50 of Winery Khareba’s wines as part of the visit, alongside seeing the bottled wine cellar and ageing tunnels.

Is there somewhere to eat on site?

The restaurant “Khareba” operates on the grounds, open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, serving Georgian-European dishes in a setting the winery describes as set within nature near the tunnel.

How far is Kvareli Wine Cave from Tbilisi?

Kvareli is around 150 km from Tbilisi, roughly a two to two and a half hour drive along the Kakheti highway, and can be combined with other Kakheti wine-region towns such as Telavi or Sighnaghi.

What else is there to do besides the cellar tour?

The site includes a recreational park with a water mill, bakery, chacha still, trout pond and old wine-press cellar, and offers masterclasses such as bread baking, churchkhela dipping, barbecue roasting, khinkali and khachapuri cooking, and grape harvesting during vintage.

Sources

• Kvareli Wine Cave — official website (winery-khareba.com)
• Kvareli Wine Cave: News
• Kvareli Wine Cave: About Us
• Kvareli Wine Cave: WHITE WINE
• Kvareli Wine Cave: Red Wine
• Kvareli Wine Cave: Contact

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 27 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.