Chinuri – The Hallmark of Kartli

Hot Summers and Chinuri Wine

Unlike Kakhetian-style wines, with their strongly expressed tannins, Chinebuli wine is lighter, regardless if made with skins or without. This makes it a perfect pick for patio parties!

In the hot Georgian summer, a well-chilled Chinuri will cool you down really well. It pairs with sliced aromatic peaches and other summer fruits.

The Character of the Wine

Chinuri is a gentle, light to medium-bodied, white wine. White peach, freshly-cut grass, quince are the main flavours you can catch in it. Once made in qvevri on full skin, it develops the notes of peach or quince jam as well, and has medium tannins.

In general, the vintage of Chinuri takes place in the end of September - beginning of October. To make sparkling wine, you want the vintage to take place no later than the 10th of October. 

Some brands of Georgian Chinuri are sold in the European, American, and Asian markets with great success. People who have tried them constantly come back for it because they enjoy it’s joyful character and gastronomy-friendly profile. .

The Champion of France

Ivane Mukhranbatoni, a member of the Georgian royal family, owned a large plot of land in the village of Mukhrani in the 19th century, where nowadays some of the best Chinuri is grown by the locals.

Mukhranbatoni, despite his long military career, was one of the first among the landowners of that time. Mukhranbatoni developed a capitalist system for wine growing. To incorporate what was considered “new technology” in 1876, he built a 1.2 million liter factory in Mukhrani and invited winemaking specialists from France to assist him in making wine the European way.

In 1882, Mukhranbatoni’s wine won first prize – the state coat of arms – at its first international exhibition, held in Moscow. Seven years later, in 1889, Mukhranbatoni’s Chinuri wine won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle Internationale in Paris. Mukhranbatoni himself was given the highest award – Officier du mérite Agricole – by the government of France. The Château Mukhrani company is currently engaged with a project to restore the cultural legacy of Ivane Mukhranbatoni. 

You can visit Château Mukhrani, just 30 minutes away by car from Tbilisi, in any season of the year, to try Chinuri wine and some other fantastic Kartli wines.

Food and Chinuri – Almost Complete Freedom

The golden, amber-colored, or lightly straw-colored Chinuri wine, with its pleasant aromas, pairs very well with fish, salads, and chilled seasonal fruit, especially peaches.

Chinuri wine is the hallmark of Kartli and is a must-try on your visit!