Family winery Tavtetrishvili

Vachnadziani Valley family farm and family winery Tavtetrishvili is located in the village of Vakhnadziani, Gurjaani district in Kakheti (eastern part of Georgia).

The village of Vachnadziani is a secret treasure of Georgian history.

According to archaeological excavations and historical records, the village was founded many centuries ago and has a number of historical monuments listed as cultural heritage.

The population of the village maintains its ancient traditions even in the 21st century. One of them is wine production. There is not a single family in the whole of East Georgia that does not keep this tradition.

The Tavtetrishvili family has been making wine for many years. They founded the company in 2008 as a family business. Where Ani Tavtetrishvili is the owner of the company. Brother Givi Tavtetrishvili is the winemaker. Father Vakhtang Tavtetrishvili always believed that wine is not just a drink, but history in a jug. Father, Mr. Vakhtang passed away a few years ago and brother Ani has been following in his footsteps ever since.

Family winery Tavtetrishvili

Ana Tavtetrishvili, the owner of the winery, says: “Our family and ancestors come from the village of Vakhnadziani. Winemaking has always been an integral part of our lives. The place where our cellar is located belonged to our grandfather Ivan Tavtetrishvili at the beginning of the 20th century. He owned an earthenware factory that produced Georgian bricks, tiles and small jars of kvevri”.

Ani’s father first built a cellar in the village of Vachnadziani in 1988 and currently the family has 42 kvevri jugs of various sizes, the smallest with a capacity of 1.5 tons, and some of them are 4 ton jugs. Some of them once belonged to Ani’s grandfather, and the rest were purchased in the 1990s.

Unfortunately, the large kvevri have not survived, but all of the kvevri vessels in which the Tavtetrishvili family now makes traditional Georgian wine were made by the famous Sozashvili family who made kvevri in the village of Vardisubani in 1988-89 specifically for their family winery Tavtetrishvili, Vakhnadziani Valley.

Vineyards are also part of the cultivated ancestral lands and part of the already new generation. The climate of the village of Vachnadziani is dry, at 560 metres above sea level between the cold Gombori mountains and the Alazani valley, under which belt the vines are grown, producing wine of different grades, aromas and flavours.

The excellent Georgian wine Rkatsiteli which we offer from the family winery Tavtetrishvili (Vachnadziani Valley) in our e-shop www.zGruzie.cz is from the belt where the soil is mostly stony and produces completely dry wine. Minimal sugar remains and therefore for long storage these wines can keep well in the right conditions.

Rkatsiteli wine is made using the Kakhetian Kvevri method and therefore has a rich and eye-catching orange hue that is a visual expression of its unique preparation process. The prolonged contact with the skins of the grapes during fermentation contributes to the vivid hue that shows the individuality and exceptional quality of the wine.

KVEVRI RKATSITELI dry white wine celebrates the beauty of tradition. With its eye-catching orange hue, rich flavours and a story linked to family heritage, this wine embraces the very essence of Georgian winemaking.

The family has always made wines from the traditional Kakheti varieties of Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Mtsvane, Kisi and to suit the zone, they have always been dry or semi-dry wines.

Usually, the vintage in the vineyards starts from 10 September and lasts until 5 October. During this period, the sugar is at its maximum ideal for Kakheti varieties with acidity and extract.

Rkatsiteli wine is very suitable for chicken, fried fish and salads.

Wine awards

Tavtetrishvili’s family has received certificates. One of the biggest successes was the presentation of the product at the Frankfurt trade fair. The small winery’s wine attracted many positive comments and even a document was published confirming that the Frankfurt Prime Minister had bought Rkatsiteli Kvevri wine.

The family works and produces new wines. As you know, in the spring the jugs are opened and the wine is then prepared and bottled. Next year we will offer a new Kisi. Three years ago  Saperavi was made in oak containers and Mukuzani will be bottled next year, for example.

By the way, Ani Tavtetrishvili’s profession is a doctor, her sister is a food technician, her brother is a specialist in international economics. However, the whole family lives in the village of their ancestors and preserves the family traditions. It is the most important thing they can do.