By Mariam Lomidze, Culture & Events Reporter · 07/11/2026
- Plan this as a day trip from Tbilisi rather than an overnight stay, since the winery sits close to the capital.
- Expect a small, family-run setting rather than a large visitor centre — ask locally about current access before arriving.
- Pair the visit with nearby historic churches or basilica sites in Kvemo Kartli to round out the trip.
South of Tbilisi, where the hills of Kvemo Kartli roll past Bolnisi, Marneuli and Rustavi, Mukhiguli 1770 keeps winemaking close to home. Founded in 2019 by Ioseb Mukhigulashvili on S.S. Orbeliani street, it is a small, family-run operation rather than a polished showcase cellar, and that is precisely its appeal for travellers who want a quieter, more local read on Georgian wine.
The winery’s name carries its own piece of history. It traces back to Giorgi Zhuzhunadze, an ancestor of Ioseb’s who fought alongside his seven sons at the 1770 Battle of Aspindza, when King Erekle II pushed Ottoman forces out of Meskheti. For his bravery, Erekle gave him the name “Oak Heart” — Mukhiguli — a title the family has carried into its wine label.
Why November suits this visit
By November, harvest work across Georgia has wound down and cellars settle into a calmer rhythm, making it a sensible month for visiting a small producer without the crowds or scheduling pressure of peak season. Kvemo Kartli’s rural landscape, with its farmland and scattered vineyards, also takes on the muted colours of late autumn, which suits an unhurried countryside stop rather than a rushed tasting-room circuit.
Mukhiguli 1770 works with a notably wide range for a small producer: Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Asuretuli Rosé, Riesling, Muscat and Kakheti Mtsvane, made using a mix of traditional Georgian, classical and Swabian techniques. That blend of methods reflects Kvemo Kartli’s own layered history, including the Swabian German communities that settled in the region generations ago and left a mark on local winemaking practice.
This is a stop best suited to travellers curious about regional variation in Georgian wine beyond Kakheti’s dominant reputation, and to those who enjoy independent, family-scale producers over large commercial estates. It is not a destination built for big tour groups or elaborate visitor infrastructure.
Given its proximity to Tbilisi, Mukhiguli 1770 works well as part of a day trip rather than a standalone outing. Kvemo Kartli’s basilicas and monastery remains, along with the multicultural towns of Bolnisi and Marneuli, give the wider area enough historical and cultural texture to fill an afternoon around the winery visit.
Read more on gtour.ge: Kvemo Kartli · Mukhiguli 1770 — Wine in Kvemo Kartli, Georgia
Wine of the day — a daily GTour desk feature drawn from the verified-place register and our destination guides. Not sponsored.
Source: Georgian National Tourism Administration — official register (georgia.travel)
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Related private tour: Birtvisi Fortress Hike and Dashbashi Canyon. GTour runs private tours with English-speaking guides from Old Tbilisi. See all tours or ask the desk on WhatsApp +995 577 416 314.
Source: Georgian National Tourism Administration — official register (georgia.travel). Reported by the GTour desk; updated 7 November 2026, 11:45 (Tbilisi).
