Festival “Celebration of the New Grape Harvest – Stveli”
September 6, 2025, Telavi, area adjacent to King Erekle’s Palace
Organized Georgian Chamber of Culture by and supported by the N(N)LE “Culture Forever”, on September 6, 2025, in the city of Telavi, near King Erekle’s Palace, the annual festival “Celebration of the New Grape Harvest – Stveli” was held. The festival is organized every year on the first Saturday of September to mark the beginning of the grape harvest season in the Kakheti region.
Festival Sponsors
- Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
- LEPL – National Wine Agency
- National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – Sakpatenti
- LLC Telavi Cellar Shio
- LLC Forever Georgia Tour
- LLC Sena Auto
- The festival was held with the support of the Administration of the State Representative – Governor of the Kakheti Region and Telavi Municipality City Hall.
- Information Support: TV “Imedi”
Festival Objective
The goal of the festival was to promote Georgian wine products on the local market and to raise the level of consumer culture. Specifically, the purpose was to popularize natural products, Kakhetian wines made from Georgian grapes, and their historical appellations of origin.
The grape harvest in Georgia begins in Kakheti, as grapes ripen earliest in this region. For this reason, the event was held in the heart of Kakheti, Telavi. At the same time, Telavi is home to the royal throne of King Erekle, which is why the theatrical and cultural part of the event brought to life the story of King Erekle, his royal winemaker, and other figures connected to grapes and wine. The winemaker examined the qualities of the wine, as stated in Vakhtang VI’s Dasturlamali: “The winemaker shall approve, select, and seek excellence.” With the participation of guests and sommeliers, during the festival a special blend was created – “King Erekle’s Wine.”
Within the Framework of the Festival
The National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – “Sakpatenti” promoted Kakhetian wines made from Georgian grapes and their historical appellations of origin. 24 Kakhetian wine-producing companies and small cellars participated in the festival and presented samples of chacha (Georgian grape spirit) for competition.
- Exhibition and sale of the best Georgian wine samples;
- Presentation of 18th-century Kartli-Kakheti traditions and the royal etiquette of King Erekle’s family;
- Kakhetian gastronomy corner: exhibition and sale of traditional dishes;
- Creation of the symbolic blend “King Erekle’s Wine” after the competition jury selected the best Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Kisi, and Khikhvi wines.
Festival Program
- 12:00 PM – Ceremonial Opening on Stage – Speakers: Davit Okitashvili, Soso Giorgadze, Mamuka Burdiashvili, Tengiz Mtvarelishvili, Phikria Kushitashvili, Zaza Grigalashvili.
- 12:30 PM – Telavi Folk Ensemble “Thsinandali” – blessing of the beginning of the harvest with Kakhetian songs;
- 1:00 PM – Literary-musical composition “King Erekle, Georgia, and Georgian Wine” – STU Theatre-Studio “Modi-Nakhe”;
- 1:00 PM – Masterclass and tasting by Italian wine expert Pier Antonio Bianco;
- 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Competition tasting and work of the jury to determine the best “King Erekle’s Wine”;
- 4:00 PM – Theatrical performance “King Erekle, Kakheti, and Georgian Wine” – STU Theatre-Studio “Modi-Nakhe”;
- 5:30 PM – Award ceremony for the best blend “King Erekle’s Wine” – gold, silver, and bronze medals;
- 6:00 PM – Closing performance by The Young Generation of the Sukhishvili Ensemble.
Competition Jury
Chairman: Zaza Grigalashvili – Georgian wine expert, Doctor of Oenology, WSET-certified sommelier, member of the Georgian Sommelier Association.
- Giorgi Solomnishvili – Winemaker, founder of “Solomnishvili Winery”.
- Giorgi Datukishvili – Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Chief Winemaking Technologist at “Georgian Wine Corporation”, permanent member of the National Wine Agency’s tasting commission since 2017.
- Pier Antonio Bianco – Italian wine expert.
Competition Results
The competition jury identified the winning companies producing the four wine varieties from which “King Erekle’s Wine” was created:
- “King Erekle’s Wine” Gold – 2025 – No winner identified.
- “King Erekle’s Wine” Silver – 2025 – Company “Shio’s Marani”.
- “King Erekle’s Wine” Bronze – 2025 – “Nika Azniashvili’s Marani”.
By the decision of the competition jury, two blends of “King Erekle’s Wine” were created, with the participation of different companies’ wines.
First Place Blend:
- Khikhvi – “Gulordava Family Winery”;
- Kakhuri Mtsvane – “Levan’s Marani, Akhmeta”;
- Rkatsiteli – “Dema Winery”;
- Kisi – “Château Ketevani”.
Second Place Blend:
- Khikhvi – “Dato Chikhladze’s Marani”;
- Kakhuri Mtsvane – “Dato Chikhladze’s Marani”;
- Rkatsiteli – “Dato Chikhladze’s Marani”;
- Kisi – “Dema Winery”.
Best Appellation Wine:
- Mukuzani – “Shio’s Marani”.
“King Erekle’s Best Guest” Wine:
- Saperavi – “Tskhra Mukha”.
Best Dessert Wine:
- Khikhvi – “Tegani Marani”.
Best European-style Wine:
= Saperavi – “Sevsamora Winery”.
Award Ceremony
During the award ceremony, the following speakers congratulated the winners and presented medals and certificates:
- Davit Okitashvili – President of the Georgian Chamber of Culture.
- Mamuka Burdiashvili – Deputy State Representative in Kakheti.
- Tengiz Mtvarelishvili – Chairman of Telavi Municipality Council.
- Zaza Grigalashvili – Chairman of the Competition Jury.
Media Coverage
- Georgian Public Broadcaster;
- TV “Imedi”;
- TV “Rustavi 2”;
- TV “POS”.
