Shumi Winery: Kakheti's 400-variety grape museum and ideal first visit

Why Shumi is where many wine journeys should begin

Not every Georgian wine visit needs to be a deep dive into natural wine philosophy or an earnest pilgrimage to a family marani in a remote village. Sometimes the most useful wine experience is one that gives you the broadest possible picture — of grape varieties, of winemaking methods, of the history and geography of a wine region — in a single, well-organised visit. This is what Shumi Winery offers, and it does so with a particular distinction that exists nowhere else on earth.

The Shumi estate near Tsinandali houses a living collection of over 400 indigenous Georgian grape varieties. It is not a museum in the static sense — these are living vines, actively cultivated in a vineyard-garden arrangement called vazis skhemi, the Vine Scheme. Walking through it is one of the strangest and most educational experiences that wine tourism offers anywhere in the world: row upon row of vine varieties, each labelled with its Georgian name, many of which you will never have heard of and will not encounter in any wine list outside this country.

Georgia is home to more than 500 documented indigenous varieties — more than any other country on earth. Shumi’s collection is the most comprehensive single display of this heritage, and the act of walking through it makes the abstract claim of Georgian wine biodiversity suddenly and viscerally real.

History and philosophy

Shumi Winery was established in the 1990s and has grown into one of Kakheti’s most visitor-friendly estate operations. The decision to develop the vazis skhemi grape collection was driven by both scientific and cultural motivations: preserving Georgia’s viticultural biodiversity at a time when many varieties were at risk of disappearing, and creating an educational resource that could communicate the uniqueness of Georgian wine to visitors from any background.

The winery name comes from Georgian, a word suggesting lively activity and energy — an apt description of an operation that has consistently expanded its visitor infrastructure while maintaining genuine winemaking standards.

The philosophy at Shumi is deliberately inclusive: produce wines across a broad quality and style spectrum, from accessible everyday bottles that welcome new Georgian wine drinkers to serious qvevri ambers that reward the experienced palate. This breadth is sometimes seen as a compromise by natural wine partisans, but it reflects a realistic understanding of the audience that wine tourism attracts — which is mostly not composed of natural wine professionals.

The vazis skhemi: 400+ grape varieties

The grape variety collection is the defining feature of a Shumi visit, and it deserves unhurried attention.

The collection encompasses the full documented range of Georgian indigenous varieties — varieties that have evolved in the Caucasus over millennia without cross-breeding with European cultivars, producing a genetic diversity that has no parallel in any other wine-producing country. Walking the collection, you encounter not only the famous varieties that appear on international wine lists (Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Saperavi, Mtsvane) but dozens and dozens of others that may have been grown in Georgia for centuries and are unknown outside the country’s borders.

Some of these obscure varieties are producing wines in tiny quantities at the most adventurous natural wine estates. Others exist only in collections like this one and in old village vineyards maintained by families who have never stopped growing them. A few are so rare that the Shumi collection represents one of the only sources of living plant material.

The guided tour of the vazis skhemi takes approximately 45 minutes and provides context on the genetic diversity of the collection, the history of grape variety preservation in Georgia, and the challenges of working with rare varieties in commercial production. It is one of the most genuinely educational wine experiences available in the country, regardless of your level of wine knowledge coming in.

Wine production: two approaches

Shumi produces wines in both conventional European styles and in the traditional qvevri method, and the cellar visit makes both approaches visible and comprehensible.

The qvevri cellar: A working marani with qvevri of varying sizes buried in the earth floor, used for the amber wines in the estate range. The amber Rkatsiteli is the flagship — a full-skin-contact wine aged for several months in qvevri, producing the characteristic amber colour, tannic structure, and dried fruit complexity of the Kakhetian style.

The conventional cellar: Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and oak barrels used for the European-style whites and reds. These wines are filtered, fined, and made with commercial yeasts — the opposite of the qvevri approach in almost every technical respect. Tasting both on the same visit is a practical demonstration of how differently the same grape can behave under different winemaking philosophies.

For the full story of qvevri winemaking — the history, the method, and what the wines taste like — see our qvevri winemaking guide.

What to taste

The Shumi tasting offers access to both production styles, and you should taste across both rather than settling for one or the other.

Begin with the Tsinandali — the PDO white wine made from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grown in the Tsinandali village area. The Shumi version is a clean, well-made expression of this historic style: dry, moderately aromatic, with good acidity and a pleasant citrus and herb character.

Move to the Rkatsiteli Amber — the qvevri-made wine that shows the same grape in an entirely different register. The colour alone is dramatic; the tannin and dried fruit complexity will recalibrate any expectations set by the conventional white.

The Kisi Qvevri, when in the lineup, is excellent — richer and more aromatic than the Rkatsiteli, with a texture that makes it feel more substantial.

For reds, the Saperavi Reserve shows what oak ageing does to Georgia’s great red grape — a more structured, complex wine than the standard Saperavi, with several years of development ahead of it.

The standard tasting covers five to six wines; the premium tasting includes the full range with older vintages. The latter is worth the additional cost if you are serious about understanding the Shumi portfolio.

The restaurant and grounds

The Shumi estate restaurant is a comfortable space with a good Georgian menu and an excellent view of the surrounding vineyards. The food is well prepared and the wine list is comprehensive — the restaurant is worth a lunch stop even for visitors who are not doing the full cellar tour.

The estate grounds, including the vazis skhemi collection, are pleasant to walk through before or after lunch. The combination of vineyard stroll, variety collection tour, cellar visit, and lunch makes for a complete half-day programme that does not require rushing any element.

Visit logistics

Location: Near Tsinandali village, approximately 10km from Telavi and within easy reach of the Telavi–Tsinandali road. Well-signposted from the main road.

Tours: Standard tours include the vazis skhemi grape collection, the wine cellar (both qvevri and conventional production), and a tasting of five to six wines. Duration approximately 1.5–2 hours.

The variety collection: The vazis skhemi can be visited as part of the tour or as a standalone walk. The guided version with explanation of the varieties is significantly more rewarding than an unguided stroll.

Languages: English and Russian are reliably available. Georgian is the primary language.

Reservations: Walk-in visits are generally possible during opening hours. For groups or for the premium tasting experience, booking in advance is recommended.

Family suitability: Shumi is one of the most family-friendly winery visits in Kakheti. The grounds are open, the restaurant has a broad menu, and the variety collection is genuinely interesting for children who may have a curiosity about plants or agriculture.

Book a guided Kakheti wine tour including Tsinandali area

Best time to visit

Spring (April–June): The vines in the vazis skhemi collection are in active growth — young shoots and early leaves make the botanical diversity more visible. The restaurant terrace is at its best.

Summer (June–August): Full foliage on the collection vines. Long days allow comfortable visits in the cooler morning or late afternoon hours.

Harvest (September–October): The most dramatic time for the variety collection — many of the 400+ varieties have ripe fruit simultaneously, displaying a range of shapes, colours, and sizes that no photograph can adequately represent. The production cellar is at full activity.

Winter: The dormant vine collection is less visually interesting but the cellar visit is unchanged. Fewer tourists, more time with the winemaking staff.

Buying wine

The Shumi estate shop stocks the full range at cellar-door prices. The amber wines and the Kisi Qvevri represent the best value for quality. The Tsinandali PDO wines are widely available in Tbilisi and internationally; the rare-variety wines made from the collection are only available at the estate.

Look specifically for any wines made from unusual varieties drawn from the collection — these small-batch experimental wines are produced in quantities too small for commercial distribution and can only be purchased here.

Nearby wineries to combine

The Tsinandali area is rich with wine destinations within a short drive.

Tsinandali Estate (see our Tsinandali Estate guide) is the historic Chavchavadze property immediately adjacent — visiting both in the same afternoon provides a rich historical and contemporary perspective on the Tsinandali wine zone.

Orgo Winery (see our Orgo Winery guide) offers the natural wine complement to Shumi’s more conventional production — useful contrast.

Schuchmann Wines (see our Schuchmann Winery guide) is approximately 15 minutes away and offers the most complete overnight estate experience in the Telavi area.

For a full Kakheti itinerary that makes the most of the Tsinandali zone, see our Kakheti wine tours guide.

Book a full-day Kakheti wine tour from Tbilisi

FAQ

How many grape varieties does the Shumi collection actually have? The collection has been developed to include over 400 documented indigenous Georgian varieties. The exact number fluctuates as new varieties are identified in old vineyard plots across Georgia and added to the collection, and as occasionally a line is lost to disease or administrative change.

Do they make wine from all 400 varieties? No. Most of the rare varieties are maintained for conservation and research purposes. Commercial production focuses on the varieties with established quality profiles — Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane, Saperavi, and a small number of others. Experimental wines from rarer varieties are made in tiny quantities and are available only at the estate.

Is Shumi a natural wine producer? Shumi operates both conventional and qvevri production lines. The qvevri wines are made with traditional methods and minimal intervention. The conventional wines use commercial yeasts and standard oenological practices. It is not a natural wine producer in the philosophical sense that Pheasant’s Tears or Okro’s Wines are, but the qvevri range is honest and well-made.

How does Shumi compare as a first Georgian winery visit? It is one of the best first visits in Georgia for several reasons: the variety collection gives educational context before tasting, the wines span both conventional and qvevri styles, the staff speak English well, and the overall operation is visitor-friendly without being sterile. If you then go on to visit a small family producer like Okro’s Wines or Pheasant’s Tears, the contrast is illuminating.

Can I buy wines made from rare indigenous varieties? Yes, in small quantities when available. These sell out quickly. Ask specifically at the estate shop what experimental or rare-variety wines are currently available.