According to Avtandil Iromashvili, founder of Avtandili's Winery, a winery located in the village of Kardanakhi in Kakheti, the 2025 vintage has been particularly challenging for Kakheti.
The winemaker said in an interview with BM.GE that climate conditions have significantly reduced yields and grape quality, resulting in a production cut of approximately 50%.
“This year’s season was not good enough in terms of quality. This problem affected the whole of Kakheti. Sugar content could not be accumulated, which directly affected the quality of the wine. The harvest was also delayed due to the weather, which created additional difficulties. In our example, we were not able to work on some varieties at all. We did not have grapes of the quality that the market demanded, so we refrained from increasing production,” says the winemaker.
According to Iromashvili, this year he processed up to 8 tons of grapes, which is equivalent to approximately 7,000-10,000 bottles of wine. However, due to damaged fruit, the grape juice was less and the final result is still being finalized.
As of Iromashvili, the current challenges are also reflected in the price of products to some extent, although the winery is avoiding price increases in order to retain customers: “The average price of our wine in the local market is 6-7 USD. We do not want the price increase to deter consumers,” Iromashvili says.
“Avtandili's Winery” became a brand in 2021. The farm has two microzones and one place of origin, which means that it produces 3 places of origin wines in total. These are “Akhoebi”, “Saperavi Tsarapi” and “Kardanakhi”, which is grown in the village of Kardanakhi. The company’s products are sold locally, in various wine shops and bars.
