With its sprawling mountain ranges, deep valleys, and long tables loaded with hearty dishes, the small country of Georgia bordering the Greater Caucasus is quickly becoming a favored destination off the beaten path for travelers in search of impressive hikes followed by genuine hospitality. In fact, you’re never far away from a glass of wine, as a toast can occur at any time, whether during a supra (the traditional Georgian feast) or when spontaneously invited by rangers during a hike in one of the many national parks. More specifically, qvevri wine, the typical orange or amber wine traditionally aged in amphorae—a technique that dates back more than 8000 years and was named a “UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
For a long time, Georgia’s wine industry has been dominated by men. Only in recent years have more women made their way into winemaking in Georgia, alongside the quest to produce more natural wines. Most focus on organic, low-intervention wines and reviving indigenous grape varieties as a gentler approach of working with the land.
From Georgia’s famous wine region Kakheti to lesser-known places like Imereti and Samegrelo, wineries run by women are popping up all across the country. Below, we highlight some of the most inspiring figures of this female approach, each adding her own unique touch.
Baia Abuladze, co-owner of Baia’s Wine in Imereti
After leaving the highway connecting Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia) with Kutaisi (a city in western Georgia), you’ll arrive in the quiet village of Obcha, with seemingly endless views of small fields and cows grazing in the background.
It’s here that Baia’s Wine has made waves, even beyond the borders of Georgia, with its focus on natural wines that embrace endemic varieties typical of Imereti like Tsitska, Tsolikouri and Krakhuna. Baia Abuladze founded the winery in 2015, making it one of the very first in Georgia to be run by women. “Now, more women are visible,” says Abuladze. “Women were always part of that work, but more in terms of labeling the wine or selling it, and they weren’t visible. But now you can find so many women leading the wineries, in Kakheti but even in difficult-to-grow regions like Samegrelo.”
After studying agriculture in Tbilisi, Abuladze returned to her village to take over her family’s winery, now in its fourth generation. Together with her sister Gvantsa and her brother Giorgi, Abuladze strives to run the vineyard and winery as sustainably as possible. Starting with two hectares, they have since planted 18 hectares of new yet old varieties and now tend to the land in an organic way. “You need a lot of very specific knowledge,” she says. “We now have about 10 years of experience working with grapes and vines 24/7.”
According to Abuladze, Imereti is not a well-known wine region yet, but it is special because of its small farming tradition. “We grow in very humid conditions, but the clay soil keeps the moisture in, and in the end, our grapes have medium acidity. They’re very fresh and floral, and they pair well with the richness of Georgian cuisine.”
After a tour of the property, a huge array of homemade Georgian food awaits and, like the wines, it features elements typical of Imereti like nigvziani badrijani (eggplant rolls filled with walnut paste and pomegranate). Guests can also stay overnight, with breakfast being served outside with a view of the vineyards.
Keto Ninidze, owner of Oda Family Winery in Samegrelo
Upon arriving at Oda Family Winery in Samegrelo, you’ll be greeted by the women running the kitchen of the beloved restaurant, with the garden and vineyards beyond full of locals and visitors alike. Keto Ninidze and her all-female team proudly represent the heartwarming hospitality of this lesser-known wine region of Georgia. But not only that: They promote the indigenous grapes of Samegrelo like Ojaleshi, but also Tsolikouri and Dzelshavi from neighboring Imereti, producing natural wines in an unconventional way. “Samegrelo has a great tradition of viticulture. Unfortunately, even some locals don’t know about it,” says Ninidze.
“Samegrelo is very beautiful, yet has many places that are still quite unknown. The Martvili Canyon, for example, only gained popularity in recent years,” she says. Ninidze moved here with her husband, Zaza Gagua. Both were born in the capital, yet longed for a slower way of life. “There was no vineyard, so we transformed it!” says Ninidze about the history of the place. During the Soviet era, all the vineyards in the area were replaced with hazelnut trees and tea bushes because cultivating wine in this humid climate was deemed too difficult.
The terroir of the Oda Family Winery stretches across Western Georgia, an area known for its limestone soil. They collaborate with small, family-run partner vineyards and strive to regain knowledge about Western Georgian terroirs in various locations, making it a challenging yet fruitful endeavor. “There is a wide range of aromas, from the high mountains to the low valleys. But in higher climates like this one, there are many more floral aromas.”
It was her husband who first started making wine with friends, with Ninidze only slowly gaining interest when she was tasked with writing about wine as a journalist. “I don’t have any formal education in this field,” she says. “But then I experimented with my own small project and it worked! We found that many people were interested in my wines.”
Today, Ninidze is one of the leading figures of natural wine in Georgia. She continues to write, and has published a book on women winemakers in Georgia titled A Gently Fermenting Revolution: Women in Georgian Wine Business in 2015. “It has changed a lot since then,” she observes. Ninidze also noticed that women, in particular, were drawn to smaller niche projects and to organic and natural wine. “Because wine, to some extent, is very patriarchal. But natural wine is much more liberal. It gives you the opportunity to enter the field without any formal education or family experience.”
Wine tastings and cooking classes are followed by a leisurely lunch featuring a variety of Megrelian dishes, such as elarji (traditional polenta-like dish with cheese), with organic vegetables and herbs straight from the garden, perfectly accompanying Ninidze’s natural wines.
Ana Berakishvili, owner of Berika’s Winery in Kakheti
Entering Kakheti, often dubbed “Little Tuscany” and Georgia’s most famous wine region, you’ll leave the tourist trail behind on the road to Berika’s Winery, driving past vast vineyards to the tiny village of Velistsikhe.
Instead of a big commercial enterprise, winemaker Ana Berakishvili welcomes guests to her family home, which spans 35 hectares of vineyards and is surrounded by fruit trees and vegetable patches. Besides wine, Kakheti is known for its succulent tomatoes, peaches, and plums thanks to its moderate climate. Here, Berakishvili specializes in grapes typical of Kakheti like Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, producing wines in a classical style. “I think in Kakheti, you have to make Kakhetian-style wines,” she says.
Despite the property being in her family for five generations, Berakishvili is the first winemaker in her family to sell wine. Not only that, she also manages the winery herself. “It’s a family business to sell grapes, but no one ever sold a drop of wine. They just sold grapes and made wine for the family.” Furthermore, despite having spent her childhood on a vineyard, she wasn’t even interested in becoming a winemaker. Instead, she went to university to study public administration. However, when she missed life in the countryside, she returned.
“It’s a very masculine business here,” says Berakishvili of the Georgian wine industry. “When I started winemaking, I was 19. I had made wine before, but that’s when I started selling it. No one took me seriously.” She’s now 27. Focusing on natural wines, she has noticed a growing trend. “It’s becoming more and more popular, and I’m really glad about that. In the past, the Soviet Union had a horrible impact on Georgian wine. They only cared about quantity, not quality.” Looking toward Europe for inspiration, she also started experimenting with making pét-nat.
Today, she’s passionate about introducing travelers to the traditions of Georgian wine, especially being based in Kakheti, where the qvevri method originated. Tours of the property are followed by a wine tasting and traditional Kakhetian lunch featuring classics like the ubiquitous Georgian cucumber tomato salad with local sunflower oil—always with the Caucasus Mountains as a backdrop.