Tevza Winery — Wine in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia

In short

Tevza Winery is a small, family-run qvevri winery in Saguramo, a village in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region just north of Tbilisi. It was founded by Goga Tevzadze, who makes wine exclusively from the Shavkapito grape, sourced from the village of Ksovrisi in Kartli. The winery says it is open daily for tastings and offers a 30-minute “Organic Wine & Qvevri Tour” that can be booked online. It also takes bookings for private events such as weddings and corporate gatherings.

The estate and its history

According to the winery, Tevza began as a small family operation in the backyard of Goga Tevzadze’s home in Saguramo. Tevzadze trained as a wine production technologist at Georgian Agrarian University and later studied winemaking in California, including at the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis. The winery describes him as part of a newer wave of Georgian winemakers associated with “micro-cuvee” production — small, carefully handled batches rather than large-volume output. On returning to Georgia, he started making wine at his family home before the project grew into what is now known as Tevza Winery.

No specific founding year is given in the available material, so the sequence of events is presented here without exact dates:

• Goga Tevzadze trains as a wine production technologist at Georgian Agrarian University.
• He studies winemaking further in California, including at UC Davis’s Department of Viticulture and Enology.
• He returns to Georgia and begins making wine in the backyard of his family home in Saguramo.
• The home winemaking project develops into Tevza Winery, focused on Shavkapito grown in Kartli.

Vineyards, grapes and method

Tevza says its wine is produced exclusively from 100% Shavkapito, a red grape sourced from the village of Ksovrisi in the Kartli wine region. The vines supplying the winery are described as more than 20 years old and are tended by hand. Alongside Shavkapito, the winery also cultivates Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Tavkveri and Pinot Blanc, though the available text does not specify separate bottlings, hectares or annual volumes for these varieties.

The winemaking method follows the traditional Georgian qvevri approach. Grapes are handpicked at peak ripeness and transported gently to the winery, where they are crushed directly into qvevri. Fermentation is wild, relying on naturally occurring yeasts. After tasting and analysis, the wines are separated into individual qvevri for further ageing, with maceration and skin contact lasting between one and three months. In early spring, the wines are racked off their sediment and transferred back into qvevri or other containers for clarification and further style development, before bottling.

The wines

• Tevza Shavkapito (red, qvevri-aged): the winery’s core and, by its own description, exclusive wine, made from 100% hand-picked Shavkapito grown in Ksovrisi, Kartli. It undergoes wild fermentation and one to three months of skin contact in qvevri before racking and further ageing, in keeping with traditional Georgian method.

The winery lists Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Tavkveri and Pinot Blanc among the grapes it cultivates, but the source material does not describe these as distinct, named bottlings, so no further detail can be given here.

Visiting

Tevza Winery says it is open every day of the week, from 12:00 to 21:00. Tours are conducted in English. The listed experience is a 30-minute “Organic Wine & Qvevri Tour in Kartli,” described by the winery as a chance to taste organic qvevri wines alongside Georgian food traditions. It is priced from GEL 120 and must be requested in advance through the booking platform, with the host replying within 24 hours and no obligation to confirm. No further detail is given on what the tasting flight includes beyond the wine itself.

Food and stays

No restaurant or guesthouse is mentioned in the available material. The winery does, however, take enquiries for hosting events — weddings, corporate retreats, private celebrations, photo shoots and workshops — with proposals tailored on request and a reply promised within 24 hours. Visitor reviews mention informal hospitality beyond the tasting itself, including one guest who says the hosts offered a lift and took them to a nearby museum after the visit, likely a reference to the Ilia Chavchavadze house-museum in Saguramo, though this is not confirmed on the winery’s own pages.

Awards

No awards or competition results are stated in the available sources.

Location and getting there

Tevza Winery is located in Saguramo, in the Ilias Ubani area, within the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of Georgia. Saguramo lies a short drive north of Tbilisi, close to the historic town of Mtskheta, and is reachable from the capital via the Tbilisi–Mtskheta highway in around 30 to 40 minutes by car. Given its proximity to Mtskheta — a UNESCO World Heritage town with its own churches and monasteries — a visit to Tevza can reasonably be combined with sightseeing there or with other wineries in the wider Kartli region on the same day trip from Tbilisi.

Good to know

• Open daily from 12:00 to 21:00.
• Tours and tastings are conducted in English.
• The winery’s wine is made exclusively from Shavkapito grapes sourced from Ksovrisi, Kartli.
• The signature visitor experience is a 30-minute qvevri wine tour, priced from GEL 120.
• Visits are arranged by request, with a reply from the host within 24 hours and no booking fee.
• The winery also grows Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Tavkveri and Pinot Blanc, in addition to its main Shavkapito focus.
• Private events, including weddings and corporate gatherings, can be arranged on request.
• No restaurant or on-site accommodation is mentioned in the available information.

Questions travellers ask

What grape variety is Tevza Winery known for?

The winery says its wine is made exclusively from 100% Shavkapito, a red grape sourced from the village of Ksovrisi in the Kartli region, from vines described as more than 20 years old.

Is Tevza Winery’s wine organic?

The visitor experience is listed as an “Organic Wine & Qvevri Tour,” which implies organically farmed grapes, though no formal organic certification or further detail is given in the available material.

How do I book a tasting at Tevza Winery?

Tastings are arranged by request through the booking platform. There is no service fee to ask, and the host typically replies within 24 hours with availability, with no obligation to book.

How far is Tevza Winery from Tbilisi?

Saguramo, where the winery is based, lies close to Mtskheta and is around a 30 to 40 minute drive north of central Tbilisi, making it feasible as a half-day trip from the capital.

Can I combine a visit to Tevza Winery with other sights?

Given its location near Mtskheta, a stop at Tevza Winery can reasonably be paired with sightseeing in Mtskheta’s historic churches or with other wineries in the Kartli region as part of a longer day out from Tbilisi.

Sources

• Tevza Winery — official website (winetourism.com)
• Tevza Winery: Wineries
• Tevza Winery: Stays
• Tevza Winery: Tailor Made Tours
• Tevza Winery: Georgia
• Tevza Winery: Kartli
• Tevza Winery: Request to book

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.