Bagrationi 1882: Georgia's original sparkling wine house and cellar tour

Why Bagrationi 1882 is unlike any other Georgian wine experience

Georgia’s wine story is most often told through amber wine, qvevri, and the ancient traditions of Kakheti — and rightly so. But there is another chapter of Georgian wine history that is less widely known internationally yet equally fascinating: the story of Georgian sparkling wine, and of the house that has been making it since 1882.

Bagrationi 1882 (also known as Champagne Bagrationi or simply Bagrationi) is Georgia’s oldest sparkling wine producer and one of the oldest in the entire former Soviet space. The house was established by Prince Ivane Bagrationi-Mukhraneli using the méthode champenoise — the traditional method of secondary in-bottle fermentation developed in the Champagne region of France — producing wines that were served at the imperial Russian court and across the aristocratic houses of the Caucasus.

The cellars beneath the Tbilisi facility are genuine historic infrastructure: long, vaulted underground galleries where bottles of sparkling wine rest in the riddling racks, undergoing the slow secondary fermentation and lees contact that gives traditional-method sparkling wine its toasty complexity. Visiting these cellars — the combination of age, architectural drama, and a winemaking method that most people associate with France and nowhere else — is one of the most unexpected and rewarding experiences Tbilisi wine tourism offers.

History: imperial courts to independence

Bagrationi 1882 takes its founding date as its name. In 1882, Prince Ivane Bagrationi-Mukhraneli — a member of the same royal Georgian dynasty whose Kartli properties eventually became Chateau Mukhrani — established a sparkling wine production facility in Tbilisi using equipment and methods imported from the Champagne region of France.

The decision to make traditional-method sparkling wine rather than a still wine or a simple carbonated product reflected both the ambitions of the Georgian aristocracy of the period — many of whom were educated in France and embedded in the cultural networks of European nobility — and the commercial reality that the Russian imperial market had a significant appetite for prestige sparkling wines.

The wines quickly gained a reputation for quality that extended beyond the Caucasus. Records from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries document Bagrationi sparkling wines appearing at imperial court functions in St Petersburg, at high-end restaurants in Moscow and Baku, and at export tastings in Western Europe.

The Soviet period transformed the production operation entirely. The individual house became state property; the méthode champenoise continued, however, because the Soviet state maintained Georgian sparkling wine as a prestige product for export and for elite consumption. Production volumes grew enormously, and the technology — if not always the quality standards — was sustained and upgraded.

Georgian independence in 1991 returned Bagrationi to private ownership and launched a period of quality reconstruction. The house has invested in both equipment and in restoring the reputation of its traditional-method wines, positioning them clearly against the generic Soviet-era Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (Soviet Champagne) that flooded Eastern European markets during the Cold War.

The méthode traditionnelle at Bagrationi

The traditional method — known as méthode champenoise in Champagne, méthode traditionnelle elsewhere, and executed at Bagrationi with genuine fidelity to the process — is one of the most technically demanding approaches in all winemaking.

The base wines are produced from Georgian white grape varieties — predominantly Chinuri from Kartli and Tsolikouri from Imereti, with some Rkatsiteli and other varieties depending on the cuvée. These base wines are blended to achieve the desired flavour profile, then a liqueur de tirage (a mixture of wine, sugar, and yeast) is added before the wine is sealed with a crown cap and stored horizontally in the underground cellars.

Over the following months — a minimum of nine months for the standard Bagrationi, considerably longer for the vintage and reserve wines — a secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle. The yeast cells, working on the added sugar, produce carbon dioxide that dissolves under pressure into the wine, creating the natural effervescence. As the yeast cells die and autolysis begins, they contribute the toasty, biscuit-like complexity — described as notes of brioche, fresh bread, and pastry cream — that distinguishes traditional-method sparkling wine from simpler alternatives.

After the lees contact period, the bottles must be riddled — gradually tilted and rotated (traditionally by hand, now often by mechanical gyropalettes) until the dead yeast cells collect in the neck of the bottle. The neck is then frozen, the crown cap removed, and the yeast plug expelled by the wine’s internal pressure. A dosage (small addition of wine and sugar) may be added before the final cork is driven in.

The Bagrationi cellar tour makes this entire process visible and comprehensible, in a setting that communicates the historical weight of the operation alongside the technical explanation.

The underground cellars

The cellars beneath the Bagrationi facility are one of the most atmospheric spaces in Tbilisi — which is saying something, given the city’s remarkable collection of historic underground rooms, sulphur bath complexes, and medieval caravanserai.

The vaulted galleries, cut into the rock beneath the winery building, maintain a constant temperature of 11–13°C year-round — ideal conditions for the slow secondary fermentation that traditional-method sparkling wine requires. The combination of the stone architecture, the dim lighting, and the thousands of bottles stacked in riddling racks creates a visual impression that is immediately and unmistakably evocative of the great Champagne houses.

This is not a replica or a themed visitor experience — these cellars have been in use for wine production since the nineteenth century. Some of the infrastructure dates from the original 1882 establishment; more has been added in subsequent decades of continuous operation. The sense of continuous craft stretching across more than a century is palpable.

The tour guide walks visitors through the full production sequence as illustrated by the cellar — the riddling racks with bottles in various stages of disgorging preparation, the disgorgement line, the dosage station, and the labelling and corking area. The experience is simultaneously historical and technical, and the guides are typically knowledgeable about both dimensions.

What to taste

The Bagrationi range is anchored by its traditional-method sparkling wines, available in brut, demi-sec, and occasionally vintage expressions.

Bagrationi Brut — the flagship wine, made from a blend of Georgian white varieties with extended lees contact. The aromas are distinctive: not quite Champagne, not quite anything else, but with the characteristic autolytic notes of biscuit and fresh bread alongside the citrus and floral characters of the Georgian base varieties. The mousse is fine and persistent. The finish is dry and long.

Bagrationi Rosé — the sparkling rosé, typically with slightly more fruit expressiveness and a refreshing quality that makes it particularly suited to Georgian food pairings.

Bagrationi Demi-Sec — the sweeter style, balanced by the natural acidity of the base wines. A useful bridge for visitors more accustomed to soft sparkling wines.

Vintage and reserve expressions: When available, these represent the most serious wines in the range — extended lees contact (sometimes 36+ months), more complex autolytic development, and the character of a specific harvest rather than the consistent house blend.

The tasting is conducted in the cellar or in the above-ground tasting room depending on the tour format. Ask to taste with the traditional Georgian snacks that the house provides — churchkhela (walnut-filled grape must candy), aged cheeses, and cured meats pair surprisingly well with sparkling wine.

Visit logistics

Location: Tbilisi. The Bagrationi facility is located within the city — one of the only major wine production operations accessible without leaving the capital. Exact address and current visitor centre details are on the official website.

Tours: Guided tours of the cellar and production facility run throughout the day during business hours. The tour covers the full traditional method process, the historic cellars, and a guided tasting of three to five wines. Duration approximately 1.5 hours.

Languages: Georgian, Russian, English. The visitor operation is well-established.

Reservations: Recommended for groups; individual visitors can often join scheduled tours without advance booking during business hours.

Combination with Tbilisi wine tourism: The Bagrationi tour pairs well with the broader Tbilisi wine experience. See our wine tasting in Tbilisi guide for the best natural wine bars and wine shops in the city.

Book a Tbilisi wine cellar tour and tasting

Best time to visit

The Bagrationi cellar tour is an all-season experience — the underground temperature is constant year-round, and the production operation is continuous. There is no harvest-dependent timing consideration of the kind that makes autumn visits to Kakheti wine estates particularly interesting.

Any time: The cellar tour is equally rewarding in winter as in summer. The underground temperature makes it a refreshing visit in the summer heat and a warm escape in winter.

New Year and celebration periods: Georgian sparkling wine culture peaks around New Year, and the cellars during this period have an extra animation. The house may run special events or extended tasting sessions.

Buying wine

Bagrationi sparkling wines are available at the cellar shop and widely distributed throughout Georgia — in wine shops, supermarkets, and restaurants. This is one of the more widely available Georgian wines, unlike the small-batch natural wine producers whose output is limited.

International distribution: Bagrationi exports to a number of markets, particularly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet space. The wines are available through specialist importers in the UK, Germany, and other markets.

Prices are modest by sparkling wine standards: expect to pay 20–45 GEL at the cellar shop for the standard range, with premium expressions at higher prices.

Nearby attractions and wineries

Tbilisi wine culture: The Bagrationi visit is a natural addition to a broader Tbilisi wine day. The city’s natural wine bars — G.Vino, Vino Underground, and others — offer Georgian wine tasting in a completely different context from the cellar tour. Our wine tasting in Tbilisi guide covers the essential addresses.

Day trips to Kakheti: After the Bagrationi tour, a Kakheti winery visit the following day provides a comprehensive overview of Georgian wine — traditional qvevri amber wine in Sighnaghi or Telavi contrasted with the sparkling wine tradition in Tbilisi. Our Kakheti wine tours guide covers the logistics.

Chateau Mukhrani (see our Chateau Mukhrani guide) is 45 minutes from Tbilisi and offers a further dimension of Georgian wine history — the nineteenth-century royal estate that also pursued European winemaking techniques in a Georgian setting.

Book a Kakheti wine region tour with tastings from Tbilisi

FAQ

Is Bagrationi wine like Champagne? It is made by the same method as Champagne — méthode champenoise — but from Georgian grape varieties with a Georgian terroir character. The result is distinctly Georgian in flavour profile while sharing the textural qualities of traditional-method sparkling wine: fine persistent bubbles, toasty autolytic complexity, and the clean, fresh character that secondary in-bottle fermentation creates. It is not Champagne, but it is excellent.

What are the base grape varieties? Primarily Chinuri and Tsolikouri, with some Rkatsiteli and other Georgian white varieties. The blend varies by cuvée. The use of indigenous Georgian varieties rather than the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Champagne gives Bagrationi its distinct flavour profile.

How old is the oldest wine in the cellars? The cellars house bottles in various stages of production, from newly riddled base-wine bottles to wines that have been on their lees for three or more years. Historical archive bottles from earlier periods are maintained separately. The oldest commercially available wines are the vintage expressions with extended lees contact.

Is traditional-method sparkling wine the same as Prosecco? No. Prosecco uses the Charmat method — secondary fermentation in a large pressurised tank rather than in the individual bottle. The traditional method gives much greater autolytic complexity. Bagrationi’s wines are closer in style to Champagne or Cava than to Prosecco.

Can I visit Bagrationi without being interested in wine? Yes — the cellar is historically and architecturally interesting quite apart from its wine content. The combination of nineteenth-century industrial infrastructure, underground galleries, and the strangeness of finding this in Tbilisi makes it a rewarding visit for anyone with curiosity about history or industrial heritage.