Tezi Winery: A Young Kvevri Cellar in Shida Kartli’s Vineyard Country

By Mariam Lomidze, Culture & Events Reporter · 30/10/2026

Tezi Winery sits in the small village of Tezi, in Kaspi Municipality, part of the Shida Kartli region that stretches along the Mtkvari (Kura) River valley between Tbilisi and Gori. The winery is a recent addition to the area’s long winemaking story: its wine cellar was built in 2022, giving the operation a dedicated space for vinification and storage using the traditional Qvevri method that defines Georgian wine culture.

What makes a visit here worthwhile is less about scale and more about access to process. The property includes a demonstration vineyard planted with Chinuri and Tavkveri, two grape varieties closely associated with Shida Kartli and Kartli more broadly. Visitors can walk the rows, see an enoteca and the Qvevri vessels used for fermentation, and — depending on timing — take part in the winemaking itself, from grape harvesting and pressing to the fermentation process.

Why October suits this visit

Late October falls within Georgia’s vintage season, the period when harvest-related activities at wineries like Tezi are most relevant to travellers who want to see or join the work rather than just taste the result. For anyone curious about how Qvevri wine actually gets made — not just how it tastes — this is the time of year when that process is visibly underway.

Tezi also works well as part of a longer day out rather than a standalone destination. Kaspi Municipality lies along the main highway connecting Tbilisi to western Georgia, which puts the village within roughly an hour’s drive of the capital. From there, Shida Kartli’s better-known landmarks are close by: the cave town of Uplistsikhe, Gori’s fortress, and the Ateni Sioni church are all reachable by road from the region’s towns, making it straightforward to combine a cellar visit with a half-day or full-day exploring the area’s archaeology and religious heritage.

This stop suits travellers with a genuine interest in winemaking technique rather than those seeking a polished, large-scale tasting room experience. It is equally suited to independent drivers comfortable navigating rural roads and to those travelling with a guide who can build Tezi into a wider Shida Kartli itinerary. Families or groups mixing wine interest with history will find the region accommodates both without much backtracking.

As with all entries in our register, details here were checked on 17 October 2026. If anything has changed by the time you visit, let us know.

Read more on gtour.ge: Shida Kartli · Tezi Winery — Wine in Shida Kartli, Georgia

Wine of the day — a daily GTour desk feature drawn from the verified-place register and our destination guides. Not sponsored.

Source: Official website (teziwinery.com)