Which Kakheti winery should you visit?
Start with Rostomaant Marani, a family cellar in Telavi where the owner pours his own qvevri wines and you cook lunch with the family; the Tsinandali Estate, ten minutes away, fits the same day.
Best for qvevri wine at a family table
Rostomaant Marani4 hours, up to 10from about£45a person60 USDBookSee detailsWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Best for the history of Georgian wine
Tsinandali Estate1 to 2 hours, walk inabout£4a person with a glass of wine15 GELPlan a visitSee detailsBest for a cellar cut into the mountain
Khareba wine tunnel7.7 km, dailyPriced on requestPlan a visitSee details
Near Telavi, Kakheti Pick 1 of 3Wine lovers who want to meet the winemaker
Rostomaant Marani
from about£45a person, 60 USD
Book with GetYourGuideWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Rostomaant Marani family winery tour and khinkali class, Telavi. Run by Rostomaant Marani, booked through GetYourGuide.
The owner shows you his qvevri cellar, then you make khinkali and sit down to lunch with the family.
It starts in Telavi, two hours from Tbilisi, and the booking covers no transport from the capital.
- 4 hoursfrom about 13:00, at the cellar in Telavi
- Up to 10in a small group, or private
- 6 poursfour wines, chacha and a qvevri brandy
- Lunchthe khinkali you make, with the family
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- The owner hosts the cellar tour himself and tells the story behind each qvevri wine he pours.
- A hands-on khinkali class, with meat or cheese fillings, then lunch with the family's own cheese and bread.
- Six pours: qvevri Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, two dessert wines, chacha and a qvevri brandy aged five years.
- Two guest rooms at the cellar, from about £22 (75 GEL) a person with breakfast, if you want to stay the night.
Skip it if
- You want a quick walk-in pour between sights: the Tsinandali Estate or the Khareba wine tunnel.
- You would rather not arrange a driver: a Kakheti wine tour brings you from Tbilisi.
In the price
- Cellar tour with the owner
- Khinkali class and a family lunch
- Qvevri Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, two dessert wines, chacha and a qvevri brandy
- Homemade cheese, bread and seasonal jams
- Pickup in Telavi or nearby, if needed
Not in the price
- Transport from Tbilisi
- A night in the guest rooms (about £22, 75 GEL a person with breakfast)
- Drinks beyond the tasting
CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before
Price checked 29 September 2026.
Amber and red, Tsinandali Pick 2 of 3History lovers passing through Telavi
Tsinandali Estate
about£4a person with a glass of wine, 15 GEL
Tsinandali Estate: Chavchavadze house museum and old winery. Run by Tsinandali Estate.
Prince Chavchavadze's house, gardens and cellar, which keeps Georgia's oldest bottled wine, bottled in 1841.
The guided visit is brief and the pour is a standard glass, not a winemaker at a family table.
- 1 to 2 hourswith the gardens
- Walk inguided in English or Georgian
- 1839Saperavi, Georgia's oldest bottled wine
- Caféand restaurants on the estate
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- The old cellar keeps over 16,500 bottles from 1814 onwards, among them Georgia's oldest bottled wine, an 1839 Saperavi.
- One ticket covers a guided visit to the house and the old winery, then the gardens at your own pace.
- The full tasting, about £13 (45 GEL), pours five estate wines and a chacha; three glasses are about £7 (25 GEL).
- Ten minutes from Telavi, so it fits the same day as Rostomaant Marani.
Skip it if
- You want to meet the family who made the wine: Rostomaant Marani.
- You have time for one cellar and want the most unusual one: the Khareba wine tunnel.
In the price
- Guided visit to the house museum
- Guided visit to the old winery
- A glass of wine at the old winery
- The historic gardens at your own pace
Not in the price
- Five wines and chacha, about £13 (45 GEL)
- Transport from Telavi or Tbilisi
Price checked 29 September 2026.
The Khareba wine tunnel, Kvareli Kvareli Wine Cave, Winery Khareba. Run by Winery Khareba.
Walk into a 7.7 km wine tunnel cut into the Caucasus rock, open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.
A large producer's set tour for groups, with little time with a winemaker, and no published prices.
- 7.7 kmof tunnels in the Caucasus rock
- Daily10:00 to 20:00, Monday to Sunday
- 12 to 16°Cin the tunnel, summer or winter
- 50 winesfrom 30 grape varieties to choose from
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- Galleries cut into the rock in 1962, cool all year at 12 to 16°C, with up to 26,000 bottles laid down.
- Masterclasses on site: bake bread, dip churchkhela, cook khinkali or khachapuri, or shape a small qvevri.
- A restaurant on the mountain's edge for lunch, with most of its produce from the winery's own farms.
Skip it if
- You want small-batch wine poured by the family who made it: Rostomaant Marani.
- You only have a morning near Telavi: the Tsinandali Estate is ten minutes from town.
In the price
- A guided walk into the tunnel cellar
- A wine tasting, the package chosen on site
Not in the price
- Masterclasses (bread, churchkhela, khinkali, khachapuri, a small qvevri)
- Meals at the restaurant
- Transport from Telavi or Tbilisi
How much does a Kakheti winery visit cost?
A walk-in ticket with a glass of wine at the Tsinandali Estate costs about £4 (15 GEL), and a half day at a family cellar with a cooking class and lunch about £45 (60 USD) a person.
Rostomaant Marani
from about£45a person
60 USD each
£91 for 2
- 4 hours, up to 10
- Lunch you cook
- Free to cancel 24h ahead
Cellar tour, khinkali class, lunch and six pours. A night at the cellar is 75 GEL a person extra.
BookWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Tsinandali Estate
about£4a person
15 GEL each
£9 for 2
Lowest price- 1 to 2 hours, walk in
- One glass of wine
- Tasting of five: 45 GEL
House and old winery with a glass of wine; 10 GEL without it, 25 GEL for three glasses, 45 for five and a chacha.
Plan a visitWith Tsinandali Estate
Sources and exchange rates
Rostomaant Marani, Telavi: GetYourGuide product page, checked 29 September 2026, prices in USD. Tsinandali Estate: Tsinandali Museum's own page text (via findglocal.com) and travelblog.lv prices for 2025, checked 29 September 2026, prices in GEL. Checked 29 September 2026. Pounds at the official rate of the National Bank of Georgia, in force 26 September 2026, published 25 September (3.4543 GEL to the pound); the official rate of the National Bank of Georgia, in force 26 September 2026, published 25 September (2.6080 GEL to the dollar), rounded.
Is it cheaper to book Rostomaant Marani direct?
Yes, a little. The cellar’s own khinkali class with three wines costs about £43 (150 GEL) a person and runs two to three hours. The four-hour visit on GetYourGuide, about £45 (60 USD), pours six and cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Family marani or big estate: which should you visit?
Visit a family marani to meet the people who make the wine, and a big estate for a walk-in visit with a set tour; one day can include both. A marani is the family wine cellar, which UNESCO notes is still considered the holiest place in the family home.
A family cellar, booked a few days ahead
The winemaker or a member of the family shows you the vineyard and the cellar, explains how the grapes go into the qvevri and pours at the family table. Many add food, from bread and cheese to a full meal.
- Call or message at least a few days ahead
- Ask what food is included and which language the visit runs in
A larger winery, open to walk-in visitors
The estates are larger producers with tasting rooms, shops and often a restaurant, and some add a museum. Tours are more formal, you will likely share them with a small group, and they usually take visitors without booking.
- In winter, phone ahead to say you are coming
Five questions to ask a winery before you go
- Who receives us: the family, the winemaker or a guide?
- Which wines are poured, and is any of them made in qvevri?
- Is food included, or a plate you pay for on the day?
- Which language does the visit run in?
- How long does the visit last, and can we buy bottles to take home?
Which wineries fit in one day?
Wineries on the same side of the Alazani valley fit in one day; crossing the valley and back adds driving and cuts the time you spend at the table.
Tbilisi to Sighnaghi: 1.5 to 2 hours, 113 km. Sighnaghi: no pick here; the quickest side from Tbilisi.
Can you visit all three picks in one day?
Yes, from a night in Telavi. Take the Khareba tunnel when it opens at 10:00, then the Tsinandali Estate before lunch, and sit down at Rostomaant Marani from about 13:00, a start the family can move later. From Tbilisi and back in a day, choose the two on the Telavi side.
What is on the Sighnaghi side?
The Sighnaghi side is the quickest to reach from Tbilisi. The town stands on a hill at about 790 metres with Bodbe Monastery 2 kilometres away, so a day there mixes sights with cellars in the valley below, and the road from Tbilisi passes Manavi, a wine village less than an hour from the capital.
How to visit: on your own, with a driver or on a tour
You can visit Kakheti’s wineries on your own, with a driver, or on a tour, and the choice turns on who drives and who plans the route. A winery is booked like any of our hand-picked experiences, so check the price for your date and who receives you.
For anyone who would rather not plan the route, a Kakheti wine tour strings several cellars into one day from Tbilisi. A driver you hire yourself costs less but may take you only to the big-name wineries, so name the cellars you want before you set off.
Can you drive between wineries?
No, not if you taste. Georgia’s drink-drive limit is lower than the UK’s, so whoever drives should not drink at all. A driver, a tour or a night in the region solves it.
What wine is Kakheti known for?
Kakheti is known for red wine from Saperavi (საფერავი) and white and amber wine from Rkatsiteli, made in qvevri as well as in steel and oak, and it grows most of Georgia’s grapes. Many Georgian wines carry the name of the Kakheti village or district the grapes come from.
- SaperaviKakheti's red grape, behind dry Mukuzani and the naturally semi-sweet Kindzmarauli and Akhasheni
- Rkatsitelithe main white grape; left on its skins in qvevri, it makes amber wine
- Tsinandalia dry white of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane, named after the village of the estate
- Kindzmaraulia naturally semi-sweet Saperavi from Kvareli district, the Khareba tunnel's side of the valley
When to visit Kakheti’s wineries
Visit in September or October to see the harvest, when some cellars open days for visitors to join the grape harvest; any other month works for a tasting.
Can you join the harvest (rtveli) at a winery?
Yes, on the harvest days some cellars open to visitors, with picking, pressing, a tasting and a supra lunch; Rostomaant Marani runs its own. A family decides when to pick by how ripe its grapes are, sometimes only a few days before, so book ahead, stay flexible and ask whether you will join the family’s working harvest or a day arranged for guests.
Are wineries open in winter?
Yes, on most days. The Khareba tunnel opens every day, and the Tsinandali museum every day except 31 December, 1 and 2 January, and Good Friday and Easter Sunday; for family cellars, ask when you book. Phone ahead in winter either way.
Kakheti winery questions
Can children come to a winery visit?
Yes. At Rostomaant Marani, booked direct, children up to 5 go free and those aged 6 to 12 pay about £9 (30 GEL). At the Tsinandali Estate, children under 6 go free and pupils pay about £1 (5 GEL). The Khareba tunnel publishes no children’s price, so ask when you arrive.
Can you bring Georgian wine back to the UK?
Yes. Arriving in Great Britain from abroad, each adult aged 17 or over can bring up to 18 litres of still wine without paying UK tax or duty. Anything over that must be declared.
How we picked
We looked for three different ways into Kakheti’s wine, a family cellar where the winemaker pours, a historic estate and a big producer’s cellar worth crossing the valley for. We compared family marani near Telavi on how you book, who receives you, what is poured and what the record of past visits shows, and checked every price, opening time and inclusion on the wineries’ own pages and booking listings on 29 September 2026.